By: Kevin Brozek
Last Saturday, the Sun Devils were dealt a major loss
at home as they came up short against the University of Arizona, 71-54. This
puts ASU’s record at 14-4, with a 3-2 record in the PAC-12. U of A stands 16-1,
with a 4-1 in-conference record.
U of A was led by Mark Lyons, who put up 24 points
with 3 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 assists. Lyons was also assisted by sophomore
guard Nick Johnson with 19 points, and senior forward Solomon Hill, who had 13
points. Freshman Brandon Kelly put forth a phenomenal defensive effort, as he
held his matchup, Carrick Felix, to only five points. The Wildcats shot 46.3
percent and also made 13 of their 15 free throws. The ‘Cats also had a great
game on the boards, as their starting center Kaleb Tarczewski had 8 rebounds in
the game.
Unlike the Wildcats, ASU struggled to find a workable
offensive strategy, as the team shot only a 39.1 percent from the field.Much of the blame for the poor shooting effort fell on senior Carrick Felix and junior Jordan Backynski. Felix managed to only make one field goal on his eight attempts, while Bachynski only had 3 points throughout the game. Felix also led the team in turnovers, giving the ball away 7 times. Overall, the Sun Devils turned the ball over 17 times, leading to 18 points for the Wildcat’s. All of this overshadowed a strong performance from freshman guard Jahii Carson. Carson had 22 points with 4 rebounds and 4 assists, but picked up four fouls along the way. Carson’s early foul trouble had a major impact on the Sun Devils' offensive performance, as Carson went to the bench after his fourth
foul early in the second half.
With this win, the Wildcats are now ranked sixth in the NCAA rankings as they look to
redeem their loss to Oregon back on Jan. 10. The Wildcats and Sun Devils will
square off again March 9 in Tucson as U of A will have the home court
advantage.
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