Arizona State gave a strong effort on Saturday night, overcoming a big second-half deficit to beat Santa Clara 82-79 in the Jack Jones Classic at Lee Family Forum. The win made the Sun Devils 9-2 and demonstrated their ability to remain calm as the momentum shifted.
Stormy First Half and Coaching Ejection.
The game became theatrical near the end of the first half when the manager of the team, Bobby Hurley, was sent off after two technical fouls during the last few seconds. Santa Clara seized the moment and capitalized on it, as Christian Hammond made four do-not-resists, and in the final moments, he drove for a layup, taking the Broncos into the halftime with a 55–38 lead. They dominated the first half and went into the break still without having followed.
Santa Clara extended its lead in the second half, building its largest advantage at 60–41 just under two minutes after play resumed. The Broncos held a 15-point lead, and there were 15 minutes to go, and they seemed well in control when the offensive swing suddenly changed.
Sun Devils Spark Comeback Run
The Arizona State started its charge with a strong 14-0 management, evening the scores and changing the direction of the game.
Marcus Adams Jr. knocked a three-pointer to tie the game at 66 after a short pause of action by Santa Clara, who had to stop the rush and had a little more than eight minutes to go. After a turnover, the Sun Devils then took the first lead, and this was marked by free throws of Diop and a great dunk.
Since then, Arizona State did not lose control and was on top until the end, 7:40. Diop was the man who brought the energy as he had a good shooting game of 6-of-10 at the field and nine rebounds. Johnson delivered a steady performance, hitting timely shots and converting nearly all of his attempts from the free-throw line.
Other players who made contributions included Andrija Grbovie, who made 13 points on three three-pointers, and Maurice Odum, who made 12 points, seven rebounds, and four steals.
Broncos’ Effort Falls Short
Santa Clara had a number of players who delivered good performances in spite of the loss. Hammond was the top scorer with 22 points, four of which were three-pointers.
Elijah Mahi contributed 17 points and six rebounds, and Sash Gavalyugov scored 12 points off the bench. Bukky Oboye added 10 points until he fouled out, but the extended scoring streak in the second half was very costly.
The victory on the comeback conditioned the depth of Arizona State. The strength and the capacity to react to the situation. Coming out of Las Vegas with a statement victory that highlighted their increasing confidence at the start of the season, the Sun Devils overcame a deficit of 19 points in the second half with their head coach off the bench.