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ASU MBB: Sun Devils Overmatched by the Wildcats

By Zach Pekale

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ASU Basketball sustained yet another tough loss at the McKale Center. The 91-75 defeat extended the losing streak to seven years in Tucson.

Following a win over the Colorado Buffaloes on Jan. 5, Sun Devils head coach Bobby Hurley was recorded saying, “If anyone wants to win here, they better go to (expletive) Tucson.”

Clearly, Wildcats head coach Sean Miller and his team took the statement personally as they raced out to a 12-0 lead on ASU before winning the game 91-75. The Sun Devils shot an abysmal 0-for-9 from deep in the first half and found themselves down 45-25 at the break.

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“We didn’t start well on offense and that was a theme through the first half,” Hurley said. “We’re at a disadvantage most times with size and to go 0-for-9 from three in the first half is not going to help us.”

Wildcats freshman Lauri Markkanen had a career-high 30 points, beating his defender with an array of moves both in the paint and on the perimeter. As the defense adjusted to one aspect of his game, he would use another to score.

ASU had no answer for the combined size of Markkanen as well as forwards Dusan Ristic and Chance Comanche. By halftime, the three had outscored the Sun Devils by themselves by a 32-25 margin.

“They have a lot of great talent. Markkanen is a future NBA player, so there is not much you can do about his size,” guard Tra Holder said. “All credit goes to them. They played hard and we will get them next time.”

Holder finished with 20 points, second-most for ASU on the night but also picked up a costly technical foul  for arguing a no-call while the Sun Devils attempted to stage a rally. Senior forward Obinna Oleka led the way offensively with 22 points and 9 rebounds, including four on the offensive end.

Defensively, the Wildcats looked to senior guard Kadeem Allen for stops and the veteran continuously provided them to end Sun Devil runs. Additionally, Allen notched eight assists to go along with 18 points in his final rivalry game at home.

When asked if he was at his peak defensively, Allen said, “I think I am at my peak right now on defense. I don’t know what it is that makes it so, I just kind of black out when I am on defense and be everywhere.”

Now 16-2, the Wildcats stand alone at the top of the Pac-12 with a 5-0 conference record. For ASU, the Sun Devils are 9-9 with a 2-3 record in conference play.

Next: ASU Football: What Will New DC Phil Bennett Bring to ASU?

Up next, ASU will travel to Southern California to play USC and UCLA. The Sun Devils begin the trip at Pauley Pavilion against the No. 4 Bruins on Jan. 19 at 9 p.m. MST.

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