Arizona State Edges Out Washington State, Advances to Maui Championship

TEMPE -- The Arizona State Sun Devils (6-1) escaped a serious challenge against their former Pac-12 foe in the Washington State Cougars (3-4) by a score of 100-94 on Tuesday night in the semifinals of the Maui Invitational tournament.

The Sun Devils were coming off of a dramatic 87-86 victory over the Texas Longhorns, while Washington State secured a come-from-behind win over Chaminade prior to the ASU win.

Bobby Hurley opted to start the same group that has been in place over the first six games once again - Moe Odum, Bryce Ford, Santiago Trouet, Andrija Grbovic, and Massamba Diop were the five.

Arizona State on SI recaps the game below.

First Half

The Cougars got off to a quick start - taking a 9-0 lead within the first two minutes of the game.

Arizona State countered with a 12-0 run over the next three-plus minutes of the game, with the Sun Devils taking a multi-possession advantage before Washington State came alive offensively again to take a 24-23 lead at the halfway point of the game.

The game was back and forth the remainder of the half before Washington State took advantage at the end of the half to take a 48-42 lead going into the locker room.

lnklnkkn — Arizona State Sun Devils Moe Odum (5) yells before passing the ball during a game against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe on Nov. 4, 2025. | Diannie Chavez/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Second Half

The Cougars began the second half how they ended the first, as they started the first 90 seconds of action with a 6-0 run to take a 54-42 lead.

The advantage was cut into by a run that was spearheaded by both Ford and Allen Mukeba - Washington State continued to respond to the Sun Devils' offensive onslaughts in their own right.

The game was tied at 72 going into a timeout at the 8:25 mark, as a balanced Arizona State scoring attack continued to put pressure on the Cougars' defense.

lnknlknk — ASU Sun Devils center Massamba Diop (35) sits on the bench before their game against the Georgia State Panthers at Desert Financial Arena on Nov. 17, 2025. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Sun Devils took their first lead since the first half with an anthony "Pig" Johnson dunk at the 6:51 mark of the half.

Arizona State controlled the majority of the rest of the game despite Washington State freshman Ace Gladd putting his best effort forward in the closing stages of the game

Key Performances

Moe Odum - 26 PTS, 2 REB, 5 AST, 5-7 3PTFG

Massamba Diop - 12 PTS, 5 REB, 2 BLK

Bryce Ford - 18 PTS, 7-11 FG

Noah Meeusen - 8 PTS, 3 REB

Allen Mukeba - 9 PTS, 4 REB, 1 BLK

What's Next

The Sun Devils are set to face the USC Trojans on Wednesday afternoon in the championship game at 12:30 P.M. MST. The game will be televised on ESPN.

Read more on why the Arizona State men's basketball team will exceed expectations in the 2025-26 season here, and on major takeaways from the Sun Devils’ convincing win over Colorado in week 13 here.

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