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Arizona vs Arizona State Basketball Recap

The latest edition of the Duel in the Desert turned out to be a showcase of sharpshooters.

Led by 28 points from Ty Abbott and 17 from Rihards Kuksiks, the Arizona State Sun Devils defeated the rival Arizona Wildcats 73-69 on Sunday at McKale Center in Tucson. The ASU junior duo combined to make 17 of 25 field goals (including 8 of 11 from three-point range) as the visiting Sun Devils (19-8 overall, 9-5 Pac-10) won for the fifth time in their last six games and climbed to within a half-game of the conference lead.

“I felt good in warm-ups and shooting this morning, and I guess it kind of carried over,” said Abbott, who shot 11 of 17 from the field (including 5 of 8 from beyond the three-point arc) and led all scorers with 28 points. “When I was out there, I was really in the zone.”

Kuksiks added 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting (including 3-of-3 from three-point territory) as the Sun Devils made 52 percent of their field goals (27 of 52) and 55 percent of their three-point attempts (11 of 20).

“We were patient on offense tonight,” said Arizona State senior point guard Derek Glasser, who contributed nine points (on 3-of-6 shooting) and also passed for a game-high six assists. “We didn’t let them block our shots, and we took the shots we wanted to take.”

The Sun Devils’ high-percentage shooting display stood in stark contrast to their offensive struggles in their first meeting this season against Arizona. Back on Jan. 23 in Tempe, the Sun Devils shot 30 percent from the field – making just 16 of 53 field goals, including 9 of 29 from three-point range – as the Wildcats earned a 77-58 victory.

“When the ball goes in the basket and you are making shots, it makes a world of difference,” said Arizona State head coach Herb Sendek, whose team knocked down 16 of 24 field goal attempts (for 67 percent) in Sunday’s second half. “That’s not just with our team, but every team. That was something we didn’t do last time.”

Meanwhile, Arizona, which shot 51 percent from the field in the Jan. 23 game, wasn’t far off that pace on Sunday, as the Wildcats made 19 of 40 field goals for 48 percent. But it was Arizona’s inability to stop the Sun Devils which accounted for the difference – and sent the Wildcats (13-13, 7-7) to a fourth loss in their last five games.

“We didn’t lose today’s game because of offense,” Arizona head coach Sean Miller said. “We lost because we couldn’t get enough defensive stops, and in particular Ty Abbott did just a phenomenal job. He made every shot.”

Abbott, who scored 14 points in each half, finished two points away from his career high of 30.

“He had a spectacular performance for us today,” Sendek said.

“Abbott had a great game," said Arizona freshman forward/center Derrick Williams. “We had a hand in his face. He just started off real good, and that carried through the whole game.”

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Arizona State ended the first half with a 9-0 run on a three-pointer by Glasser, a three-point play by Abbott and a triple by Abbott to take a 30-25 lead at the intermission.

Abbott scored 12 points in the first 5:32 of the second half. His jump shot with 14:28 remaining put the Sun Devils ahead to stay at 44-42.

“His performance was terrific,” Arizona’s Miller said about Abbott. “He moves without the ball. He’s smart. As a team, they did a great job of getting him the ball.”

After the Sun Devils increased their lead to as many as nine points on three occasions – the last of which occurred with 2:13 left when Jerren Shipp’s runner in the lane put ASU in front 69-60 – the Wildcats closed to within 69-64 on a two-handed slam by Williams with 1:36 remaining.

Two free throws by Arizona freshman Kevin Parrom made it 69-66 with 23.4 seconds left, but the Wildcats could get no closer.

After two foul shots by Glasser gave the Sun Devils a 71-66 lead with 22.4 seconds remaining, the Wildcats turned the ball over on their next possession, essentially ending their comeback hopes.

Senior point guard Nic Wise led Arizona with 18 points, while Williams finished with 15 and sophomore guard Kyle Fogg added 13.

Since posting a 76-72 victory over California on Jan. 31 to pull into a short-lived tie for first place in the Pac-10 with the Golden Bears, the Wildcats have lost at Washington and Washington State, have defeated Oregon at home and have lost at McKale Center to Oregon State and Arizona State.

“Our team has to get better,” Miller said. “We’re mediocre.”

The Sun Devils, meanwhile, have beaten Stanford, Washington State, Oregon State, Oregon and Arizona over their last six games while losing only to Washington. Arizona State now stands alone in second place in the Pac-10, a half-game behind California (18-9, 10-5).

Arizona State and Arizona will travel to the northern California schools this week. The Sun Devils will play at Stanford on Thursday and at California on Saturday. The Wildcats will line up against the Golden Bears at Berkeley on Thursday before making the trip to Palo Alto to play the Cardinal on Saturday.

By Tom Kessler
DFN Sports Staff Writer