MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — In a notable victory, Basheer Jihad contributed 17 points, while freshman Jayden Quaintance had an impressive performance with 15 points and 12 rebounds, marking his sixth double-double of the season. Arizona State triumphed over No. 23 West Virginia with a score of 65-57 on Tuesday evening.
BJ Freeman chipped in with 14 points, and Adam Miller added 10 for the Sun Devils, who improved their record to 11-7 overall and 2-5 in the Big 12, effectively snapping a four-game losing streak. For West Virginia, the leading scorer in the Big 12, Javon Small, managed to net 14 points, while Jonathan Powell contributed 12 points, as the Mountaineers fell to a record of 13-5 and 4-3 in the conference.
West Virginia initially surged ahead with a 15-1 scoring run to take a 17-11 lead, but they struggled offensively towards the latter part of the first half, managing only six points in the final eight minutes. After halftime, the Mountaineers lost their lead and were unable to recover.
Looking at key takeaways, Arizona State welcomed Trevor Best, a freshman who made his debut after switching from high school basketball just a month prior. Having reclassified to the 2024 class, Best’s addition to the team provides depth at guard, especially after the Sun Devils lost Austin Nunez for the season due to a foot injury. Meanwhile, Joson Sanon, the team’s second-leading scorer, has also missed several games with an ankle injury.
For West Virginia, the team seemed to lack energy following a significant emotional victory over No. 2 Iowa State just last Saturday, which may have contributed to their performance.
A pivotal moment in the game occurred when Arizona State embarked on a 14-0 run that spanned both halves, ultimately extending their lead to 37-24 after a dunk from Quaintance with 15:34 remaining in the game. West Virginia struggled to narrow the margin, never coming closer than four points for the remainder of the match.
In terms of statistics, West Virginia had a challenging shooting night, finishing with only 31% accuracy (18 of 58). Notably, Small’s struggles were apparent as he connected on only 2 of 11 attempts from the floor, failing to make any of his eight three-point shots despite a strong previous game against Iowa State where he scored 27 points.
Looking ahead, Arizona State is set to face No. 3 Iowa State at home this Saturday, while West Virginia will travel to play against Kansas State.
