Arizona State Stuns Oregon, Wins in Overtime
The run of early season tests continued for the Arizona State Sun Devils, as the team traveled to Eugene to take on a 5-3 Oregon Ducks squad ready to once again make a run to the NCAA Tournament.
Without forward Marcus Bagley (knee), Arizona State took the floor searching for a win without its top player.
The Sun Devils, coming off a five-game losing streak, opened their Pac-12 road schedule with a 69-67 victory over Oregon on Sunday evening, getting their first win in Oregon since January of 2011.
First-Half Recap
Starters
G DJ Horne
G Luther Muhammad
G Marreon Jackson
F Jalen Graham
F Kimani Lawrence
The Sun Devils were able to hit the floor running, shaking their normal tradition of slow starts in favor of solid defense and better-than-usual shooting, quickly establishing an 8-4 lead over Oregon at the first media timeout.
Arizona State then took a 16-6 lead, looking more settled and confident in its offensive sets. The Sun Devils, led by an early surge of superb shooting from DJ Horne (4-of-5 for 10 points), took a 21-14 lead over the Ducks at the under 12-minute media timeout.
However, Oregon went on a 10-0 run of its own, taking a 22-21 lead. The Ducks then went on another small 6-0 run after a few ASU buckets to regain the lead at 30-28.
Arizona State trailed 31-30 at halftime. Horne led the Sun Devils with 12 points in the first half, as the team shot 45% from the field. Oregon outscored ASU 18-8 in the paint while shooting 44% from the floor.
Second-Half Recap
Graham picked up an early foul in the second half, forcing head coach Bobby Hurley to place him on the bench.
The Sun Devils had a 37-35 lead at the first media timeout with 15:29 left, already besting their scoring output from the prior loss to Washington State last Wednesday.
Shooting 50% from three-point land was a large reason for their success against a Ducks team that were 12-point favorites over ASU prior to the start of the game.
The Sun Devils went blow-for-blow with Oregon, holding a 42-40 lead over the Ducks at the under 12-media timeout.
However, Oregon eventually took the lead after a nearly four-minute scoring drought from Arizona State.
The game ultimately went down to the wire, with Oregon maintaining a slim lead throughout the bulk of the second half.
Both teams shot poorly from behind the arc in the second half with Arizona State (20%) and Oregon (13%) missing a majority of their shots from downtown through 15 minutes of play in the second half.
The two teams were tied at 52 each prior to an Oregon dunk that put the Ducks up 54-52 at the four-minute media timeout.
Horne later hit a pair of free throws with 3:20 left to tie the game, the seventh time in the second half where Arizona State and Oregon were even on the scoreboard.
Forward Alonzo Gaffney fouled out with 2:52 left, scoring nine points and grabbing two rebounds before exiting the game.
Down 58-56, Arizona State called a timeout with the potential to tie or possibly take the lead against Oregon.
Jalen Graham hit the line with an opportunity to tie the game. However, Graham hit one of two free throws to cut the lead to one.
A pair of free throws on the other end put the Ducks up by three with 27.7 seconds left.
Just when Arizona State needed its hero, Horne showed up with his cape ready to save the day, sinking a three-point shot with three seconds left to push the game into overtime at 60-60.
Overtime Recap
The Sun Devils took a four-point lead at the beginning of overtime, but the Ducks scored five unanswered points to take a 65-64 lead.
A goaltending call in favor of Jay Heath put the Sun Devils up 66-65 with under two minutes remaining.
After an Oregon bucket, Heath answered with a successful three-point shot to put the Sun Devils up 69-67 with 12 seconds left.
Center Enoch Boakye denied an Oregon three-point attempt out of the inbound play with seven seconds left, giving the Sun Devils five blocks on the night and preserving their lead with 5.3 seconds left.
Arizona State hit six of its last eight shots, while the Ducks missed their last three attempts from the field.
Horne paced the team with 23 points while also tying for the team lead in rebounds (6) and assists (3).
What's Next
The Sun Devils return to Desert Financial Arena on Thursday to battle in-state Grand Canyon University. Tipoff is at 7:30 pm Arizona time.