ASU Basketball: Second-half run keys rout of Oregon

Balance, momentum and confidence. A triad of intangibles propelled ASU basketball to a resounding win over Oregon to sweep the weekend.

As coach Bobby Hurley entered the media room at Wells Fargo Arena, a television behind him showed freshly-cut highlights of his Sun Devils 78-64 win against Oregon.

Multiple media members tried to turn off the screen in hopes of beginning the postgame press conference, their attempts futile. Sporting a grin, Hurley picked up the remote, lowered the volume and began speaking.

A lighthearted encounter, the fourth-year coach was enjoying the moment. Understandable, given he earned his first win against Oregon in six tries and ASU is off to its best start in Pac-12 play of his tenure.

It was a statement win for the Sun Devils, who improved to 13-5 (4-2) following Saturday’s result. More specifically, a barrage of one big statement after another.

ASU provided a glimpse of its full potential with 22-2 run in the second half, turning a four-point deficit into a 16-point lead that it would not relinquish.

Trailing 54-50, back-to-back 3-pointers by forwards Kimani Lawrence and Taeshon Cherry put the Sun Devils ahead, spurring a tidal wave of momentum.

“We needed to play well and needed to step up, Taeshon stepped up and hit a big 3,” Hurley said. “Then we got a stop and Kimani followed that up.”

Following the perimeter shots, baskets by redshirt senior Zylan Cheatham, freshman Luguentz Dort and sophomore Remy Martin served as the remainder of the onslaught, with a 3 from Dort capping the run and sending the Wells Fargo Arena crowd into a frenzy.

Cherry set a new career-high with five 3-pointers made while Cheatham finished with a team-high 17 points, including a ferocious dunk over Ducks forward Kenny Wooten.

“I slipped a ball screen, got a touch in the short corner… he [Ehab Amin] gambled and once I spun baseline I’m seeing daylight,” Cheatham said. “It was pretty much me or him [Wooten] once we got in the air and I won this battle.”

Against the Ducks, ASU had five players reach double figures: Lawrence (10), Martin (11), Dort (12), Cherry (15) and Cheatham (17).

The Sun Devils went back and forth with Oregon for much of the first half as neither team led by more than four points, entering the half in a 39-all stalemate after Oregon junior Payton Pritchard connected on a heave from inside midcourt at the buzzer.

Despite the score, ASU controlled much of the opening 20 minutes. It held Oregon to 43 percent shooting compared to 56 percent by the Sun Devils. But the Ducks remained in the game, owning the glass (38-31) throughout the contest.

After the intermission, however, the defense of ASU was stifling. Oregon shot an anemic 26 percent and was held to 25 points in the second half.

With the win, ASU moves into sole possession of third place in the conference standings before traveling to Los Angeles for a road series against USC and UCLA.

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