In Tucson, Ariz., Henri Veesaar aided his team with 22 points while Caleb Love contributed 21 as the 24th-ranked Arizona Wildcats emerged victorious over their fierce rivals, the Arizona State Sun Devils, with a final score of 113-100.
This win on Tuesday night marked Arizona’s (20-10, 14-5 Big 12) second victory this season against Arizona State, a game infamous for its tense conclusion where Sun Devils’ coach Bobby Hurley decided to withdraw his team before the customary handshake.
This encounter, however, was decidedly more sportsmanlike, although the scrappy Sun Devils (13-17, 4-15) were handicapped early on with only five scholarship players, following the injury of starting guard Adam Miller in the opening 28 seconds.
Arizona capitalized on this, shooting an impressive 59% and dominating the paint with a 52-30 advantage, securing a bye into the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals. KJ Lewis also played a significant role, adding 21 points to the scoreboard.
Alston Mason stood out for Arizona State with a notable 33 points.
Despite Arizona State’s relentless performance, the Wildcats had trouble maintaining a comfortable lead until Basheer Jihad, adding 15 points, and Shawn Phillips, scoring 14, fouled out with just over five minutes to play. This left Arizona State with only four scholarship players, allowing the Wildcats to pull ahead after the Sun Devils trimmed the lead to a mere three points.
Arizona State exhibited resilience by converting 12 of 23 shots from beyond the arc, but ultimately struggled against Arizona’s superior depth.
With this victory, the Wildcats completed a season sweep over their rivals, marking Coach Tommy Lloyd’s impressive feat of achieving at least 20 wins in each of his first four seasons leading the team.
A pivotal moment occurred when Arizona State closed in to within three points with six minutes remaining, only for Arizona to initiate an 8-0 run that elevated the score to 97-86.
Notably, Arizona dominated with 25 second-chance points, derived from 12 offensive rebounds.
Looking ahead, Arizona State will close its regular season by welcoming Texas Tech, while Arizona is set to compete at Kansas this Saturday.
