After being tied at halftime, Sun Devil basketball started the second half with intention and heart, outscoring the Oregon State Beavers by 18. This electric boost by ASU won them the game 79-61 and earned the squad its second victory in a row.
ASU had momentum coming into this game after their win against Utah while OSU were desperate for a win amid a four-game losing streak.
The Sun Devils did what it's done all season long on the defensive side of the ball. They put full-court pressure on the Beavers to keep their foot on the gas as they pushed OSU's losing streak to five.
ASU finished with more steals and blocks than the Beavers. However, despite OSU forcing more turnovers, ASU was more productive after stealing ball as the team more than doubled OSU's in points off turnovers.
In these last two games, ASU has begun to find their offensive rhythm, something they have been struggling to do this season. In these two recent victories, ASU has shot 51.7% from the field, 39.45% from beyond the arc, and 74.15% from the free throw stripe.
In both games of ASU's current winning streak, the same four guys scored double-digits for ASU: graduate guard Jose Perez, junior guard/forward Jamiya Neal, junior guard Frankie Collins, and redshirt junior guard Adam Miller.
As mentioned above, the second-half spark is what won ASU this contest. Head coach Bobby Hurley said that at halftime, the team just talked about "stepping it up."
"We started out 15-6, and then we stopped guarding at the level that we needed to go through some of the stretches of the first half," Hurley said. "So, just getting back to defending, and I thought we responded well the first several minutes of the second half."
Hurley has also been switching up ASU's lineups a bit recently. Neal, a usual starter and double-digit scorer, came off the bench. This boded well for Neal and the team, as he was the leading scorer against OSU with 21 points. He also had a steal, two rejections, four rebounds and three assists. Neal said post-game coming off the bench is natural for him, and he has confidence in his coaches' decisions.
"I trust coach Hurley, and I know he has my best intentions at heart, so whatever he tells me to do, I'm going to go do it," Neal said. "I know he's not doing it out of ill intentions or thoughts, and I know he wants what's best for me. So I just followed his lead and came off the bench and did what I had to do."
Neal continued later in the press conference, speaking about how vital this two-game win streak is to their game against Arizona this weekend. He said that it is important because they need that confidence. He said these two wins helped them approach the Wildcats more comfortably and relaxed, which "is everything."
Heading into the game against No. 5 ranked Arizona, ASU has their work cut out for them. The Wildcats are undefeated at home and have won seven of their last eight games.
Miller has played in the big games and knows how to keep his head screwed on when going into these matchups. After the OSU game, he said in big games like the matchup against UA, you have to take advantage of emotion but not let it affect your game too much.
"Whoever punches the other team in the mouth first will have a good feel for the game," Miller said. "Sometimes you can put teams out in that first five minutes. Most of the time, teams punch back, and whoever can stay up the longest and keep their head on and roll with the punches the most is going to have the best chance of winning."
Last year, ASU beat Arizona for the first time since the 2019-20 season in a last minute 60-foot heave from Desmond Cambridge Jr, and this year, they look to do it again. They take on the Wildcats in Tucson Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on Fox Sports 1.
Edited by Alfred Smith III, Walker Smith and Caera Learmonth.
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Henry is a junior studying journalism and mass communication. This is his third semester with The State Press. He has also worked as a sports reporter.
