ASU Basketball: Bibbins and Barefield dominate the Sun Devils

Behind the stellar play of Justin Bibbins and the clutch time scoring of Sedrick Barefield, the Utah Utes were able to upset the No. 21 ASU basketball 80-77.

Standing in at 5’8”, senior guard Justin Bibbins was masterful in Friday night’s victory over the Sun Devils. He played the first 38 minutes of this game before receiving his fifth and final foul that finally sent him to the bench. Prior to his fifth foul, Bibbins had 15 points, six assists and one rebound.

“We lost him a bunch of times. His numbers were very good from three,” head coach Bobby Hurley said. “Bibbins, you know he’ll find his way to sneak his way in there and draw attention, that makes it more difficult.”

Bibbins dictated the pace throughout the game leading the Utes three-point frenzy. Utah shot 14-of-32 from three and had 40 total bench points. Bibbins was able to shoot 5-of-10 from three on the night, continuing the stellar play that earned him Pac-12 Player of the Week honors only three days ago.

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With less than two minutes left in regulation Bibbins fouled out and was replaced by tonight’s superstar, Sedrick Barefield.

The junior guard scored 11 second half points including the shot of shots with four seconds left. Shannon Evans II gave Arizona State a three-point lead with only nine seconds left in the game when he hit the potential game sealing runner in the lane.

Barefield received the inbound pass, calmly collected himself on the other end and nailed a monster three-pointer sending the game into overtime tied at 69.

“We didn’t guard the line the way we needed too that last play,” Hurley said. “Hats off to Barefield for making that deep three.”

Riding high off the momentum of a double-digit second half, Barefield was able to score six additional points in overtime and essentially seal the Sun Devils fate himself.

Barefield found his footing against the Sun Devils after having a difficult 2017-18 season. After starting 16 of 17 games this season, Barefield was relegated to the bench by head coach Larry Krystkowiak.

This season has seen him shoot 28.7 percent from the field and 33.7 percent from three. Against the Sun Devils, Barefield shot 71 percent from the field and 3-of-4 on threes on route to a 17-point night.

“I don’t know if I just woke up in the middle of the night a couple nights ago, but I thought, man, he’d be a heck of a punch coming off the bench,” said Krystkowiak to the Salt Lake Tribune.

The one-two punch of Barefield off the bench, and Bibbins running the show, was just enough to push the Utes over the 21st- ranked Sun Devils in Tempe.

Next: ASU Basketball: Utah outlasts Sun Devils in overtime

Utah improves to 13-7 on the season and 5-4 in Pac-12 play. The Sun Devils fall to 15-5 on the season and 3-5 in Pac-12 play.

All quotes in this article were obtained firsthand by Devils in Detail unless otherwise noted.

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