Arizona State men's basketball finally got back in the win column on Tuesday night, knocking off No. 23 West Virginia 65-57 in Morgantown. The victory snapped a four-game losing streak for the Sun Devils and reminded the Big 12 Conference that there's still substantial talent on this roster to be reckoned with.
Basheer Jihad led the team with 17 points but three other teammates also reached double-digits in the relatively low-scoring affair. None was more impactful than freshman star Jayden Quaintance who put up 15 points and snagged 12 rebounds on the night.
In fact, Quaintance broke a program record after recording three blocks against the Mountaineers. He set the new mark for most blocks by a freshman player in a single season with 57 and counting. For context, there's still 13 games remaining on ASU's schedule.
HISTORY. MADE.@qjayhoops now has 5️⃣6️⃣ blocks, the most by a @SunDevilHoops freshman in a single season 😈
— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) January 22, 2025
📺 @CBSSportsNet
🔗 https://t.co/6Zb9K1wvDo pic.twitter.com/eIRKeovnkU
ASU hoops ends losing streak with massive first win over a ranked opponent
Tuesday's upset was ASU's first win over a ranked opponent this season in what was its third attempt to date. The team came up short against Top 10 ranked foes Gonzaga and Florida early in the year. Neither are bad losses by any means but it's good to see the Sun Devils are capable of such a big win.
Now at 2-5 in the Big 12 standings, ASU (11-7) can cling to its newfound lifeline and try to build off the win. That being said, it wasn't a pretty effort with the Mountaineers nearly clawing back into the contest late in the second half.
The Sun Devils shot 48.1 percent from the field but made only five of 17 attempted three-point shots. Their only saving grace was the fact that West Virginia just could not get much to go through the hoop, shooting a meager 31 percent from the field and seeing just four of 29 shots from beyond the arc go through the hoop.
ASU's big win will be slightly short-lived, however. The team must host No. 3 Iowa State on Saturday in what could be a signature moment for the program or just another pot hole on the long road to March.