Pac-12 roundup: Surprising ASU now alone in first place in conference

TEMPE — Arizona State completed a worst-to-first journey in 37 days, and it does not plan to stop now.

“I think we are getting better as a team and we have not peaked yet,” Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley said after the Sun Devils survived a late Oregon State rally for a 74-73 victory to move into first place in the Pac-12 on Saturday.

“That’s a good feeling to have this time of year."

Guards Remy Martin and Alonzo Verge Jr. scored 17 points apiece to lead five players in double figures and Arizona State extended its winning streak to seven games, its longest winning streak in conference play since the 1980-81 team won 11 in a row en route to the NCAA tournament.

The Sun Devils (19-8, 10-4 Pac-12) were 1-3 and tied for last place in the conference after losing to No. 18 Colorado on Jan. 16. They have won nine of 10 since, losing only to Washington State at the buzzer.

Among their conquests are No. 24 Arizona and No. 14 Oregon.

“Where we were at one point, and we’ve kind of transformed ourselves and really have found an identity,” Hurley said. “Having a lot of guys playing well at the right time of the year.

“You have a team you have to rip their heart out to beat them, and that’s what we’re bringing to the court every game. It was just a commitment. Everyone made it. We feel we could do more and we started playing up to our level.”

Romello White had 15 points, Kimani Lawrence had 14 and Rob Edwards had 10 for the Sun Devils.

Tres Tinkle had 25 points and Ethan Thompson had 20 and a season-high four 3-pointers for the Beavers, who have lost three in a row and eight of 11.

There were 11 lead changes and five ties in the first 11 minutes of the second half before Edwards made three free throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt for a 64-61 lead, and the Beavers did not lead again.

The Beavers scored the final five points after Verge’s layup gave Arizona State a 74-68 lead with 2:31 left. Kylor Kelly made a layup before Jarod Lucas’ 3-pointer with 1:40 remaining closed the deficit to 74-73.

Oregon State had the last possession, and Lucas’ 3-pointer from the right corner with two seconds remaining bounced off. White switched onto Tinkle as he drove down the left side of the lane, forcing Tinkle to pass to Lucas.

“I thought we battled hard enough to win that game,” Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle said.

”We’re way past moral victories, but I’m proud of guys' grittiness and toughness against the hottest team in the league. Coach Hurley called a hell of a game.”

Arizona State’s steak started when Hurley juggled the lineup to bring Verge off the bench. Verge is averaging 17.7 points and 27.6 minutes a game in the last 10.

UCLA 70, No. 18 COLORADO 63

BOULDER, Colo. — Tyger Campbell had seven of his 15 points during a 20-3 UCLA run in the second half, and the Bruins rallied from nine points down to knock Colorado out of first place in the Pac-12.

Campbell added 11 assists and Cody Riley scored 16 points, 14 in the second half. UCLA (17-11, 10-5) has won nine of its last 11.

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

McKinley Wright IV had 20 points for Colorado, which sent its two seniors off with a disappointing loss in the final home game of the season.

The Buffaloes (21-7, 10-5) missed a chance to retain sole possession of first place in the conference. They have three games left, all on the road, but will need to sweep and get help to capture their first regular-season Pac-12 title.

Two of their five losses have come against the Bruins, who started the conference schedule 1-3 but have rallied to the top of the standings.

On Saturday, they stunned the sellout crowd of 11,214 at the CU Events Center.

Colorado led 50-41 with 12:34 remaining but missed 10 straight shots and had only three free throws over the next 9:53. UCLA capitalized with a big run, scoring 14 straight in one stretch.

Campbell put the Bruins ahead for good with a 3-pointer to make it 53-50, and Jake Kyman made it 61-53 with a jumper.

Wright hit two 3-pointers to cut the Bruins' lead to 66-63 but UCLA held on.

WASHINGTON 87, CALIFORNIA 52

SEATTLE — Nahziah Carter scored 16 points, Isaiah Stewart had 15 and Washington snapped a nine-game losing streak with a win over Cal on Saturday.

The Huskies (13-15, 3-12 Pac-12) held the Golden Bears (11-16, 5-9) without a field goal for more than 15 minutes during a stretch spanning halftime to take the victory. Washington forced 17 turnovers, and held Cal to 11 field goals and 24 percent shooting in a game that showed the team’s athletic promise.

The Huskies started the season with a win over No. 1 Baylor and were ranked at one point. But after losing 11 of their last 12 they were stuck in a repetitive cycle of second-half fades and long scoring droughts.

Enter Cal, which had lost four straight before a win at Washington State on Thursday.

The Bears appeared to be pulling away when D.J. Thorpe slammed home a dunk for a 17-11 lead, Cal's biggest of the game, with 11:33 left in the first half.

From there, things would turn disastrous for the Bears. Washington held Cal without a field goal the rest of the half, outscoring the Bears 32-9 for a 43-26 lead. Cal finished the half by missing 14 of 15 field goals, including 12 straight, and had 10 turnovers in the first 20 minutes, including five in a span of 4:14 that helped start Washington’s run.

Several Huskies contributed to the dominant finish to the half. McDaniels had eight points over the final 10 minutes. He also blocked a shot into the crowd hat fired his team up and helped set up two consecutive Cal possessions with shot clock violations.

Wright hit 3-of-4 3-point attempts during the stretch and Stewart scored on a grind-it-out play in the paint and Carter dunked home a putback of a Carter miss to give Washington the lead for good, 21-20 with 6 minutes to play.

Marcus Tsohonis hit three straight 3s to start the second half, a one-two-three punch that took the fight out of Cal. The Bears finally ended the long field goal drought when Grant Anticevich hit a short jumper to make it 54-28 with 16:20 left. In all, they went 15:23 between field goals.

The Bears were led by Matt Bradley’s 14. McDaniels finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists for Washington and Tsohonis scored 11.