Devils in Detail
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ASU MBB: Zone Defense Stymies Devils in Cal Loss

By Zach Pekale

Feb 8, 2017; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils forward Ramon Vila (33) grabs a rebound against California Golden Bears forward Ivan Rabb (1) during the first half at Wells-Fargo Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 8, 2017; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils forward Ramon Vila (33) grabs a rebound against California Golden Bears forward Ivan Rabb (1) during the first half at Wells-Fargo Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /
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ASU Basketball fell in a late night showdown to the California Golden Bears 68-43. With the loss, the Sun Devils dropped to 4-8 in Pac-12 play.

Throughout the course of the season, the Arizona State men’s basketball team (11-14, 4-8) has been heavily reliant on its ability to score from behind the three point line. Against Cal (18-6, 9-3), the Sun Devils showed what can happen when no one can buy a basket.

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ASU shot a season-low 25 percent overall on 12 percent shooting from deep and recorded its fewest single-game point total, failing to exceed the 60 points scored against Davidson in November.

“Our performance was embarrassing, honestly, to put it at that,” guard Kodi Justice said. “It was embarrassing to perform like that, to give us a chance to get back in the race. This would’ve been a big win for us and I just felt like people weren’t 100 percent ready.”

The junior knocked down the only made three-point shots for the Sun Devils but spent most of his night helping to double-team forward Ivan Rabb on the weak side. Rabb effortlessly collected a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double his ability to pass out of the post was equally as impressive.

Once again, Arizona State had no answer for sharpshooting guard Grant Mullins who connected on a season-high six threes for a game-high 18 points. and finished the season series with 11 made triples.

Facing large deficits in previous games, the Sun Devils would rally back behind a potent shooting attack. Against Cal, the zone employed by the Golden Bears stifled ASU through the duration of the contest.

In the teams’ previous meeting, Cal began the game playing man defense with two big men, enabling ASU to get Rabb in foul trouble early. Tonight, the Golden Bears ran their zone from start to finish.

“They zoned us the whole entire game and we just couldn’t figure out how to break it,” said Justice.

Defensively, the Sun Devils forced 17 turnovers and allowed 28 points at the half, covering up a poor shooting night. Out of the break, the Cal picked up where it left off in the final minutes of the first half and opened the game up quickly.

“I thought our defense was solid in the first half, we did everything we could do at that end of the floor,” head coach Bobby Hurley said. “It’s just one of those nights that we’ve had this year, that if we’re shooting the ball the way we’re shooting it, then we’re going to have a hard time being real competitive.”

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Following the loss, Arizona State will have two days to prepare before they face Stanford, a team it beat 98-93 on Dec. 30 in Palo Alto. Tip-off between the Sun Devils and Cardinal is at 6 p.m. MST and the game can be seen on Pac-12 Networks.

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