LAS VEGAS, NV – Looking to avenge its previous loss to Arizona State, No. 8 Arizona Basketball (27-6, 14-5) weathered hot shooting by the Sun Devils to win 78-59.
Returning to action to McKale North (aka Las Vegas) for the Semi-Final round of the Pac-12 Conference Tournament, No. 8 Arizona Basketball took to the hardwood to take on a talented ASU team.
Looking to avenge its previous loss to the Sun Devils, it may have been a battle for the first 30-plus minutes of game action, but overall, the Wildcats ran away in the end.
Using a team effort where the Wildcats scored 78 points on 56.4 percent shooting from the field including 10-19 (52.6) from three, Arizona ran away with the 78-59 victory!
Beyond that, the defense came up big in this one, holding ASU to just 32.3 percent shooting from the field, and a measly 23.1 percent from three.
Once again, Arizona was led by the trio of Azuolas Tubelis, Oumar Ballo, and Cedric Henderson who found their rhythm in this one by scoring 17, 14, and 14 points respectively.
Pelle Larsson added with 11 points off the bench, helping to fuel the Wildcats in this one!
Despite Arizona State hanging tough, No. 8 Arizona Basketball was able to close out the game and come away with a huge win.
Needing the energy from the tip, this one would be a bit back and forth, especially as ASU seemed to match pace with the Wildcats, responding to every offensive run.
After being tied at 18-18, Arizona would begin to find its rhythm, using a 13-3 run to pull ahead by as many as 10 in the first half.
Unfortunately, ASU would close out the half by outscoring Arizona 7-4 to make it 35-28 at halftime.
Looking to continue its momentum in the second half, unfortunately, Arizona State would continue to hang tough in this one.
Granted, Arizona did pull ahead by 11 when Tubelis scored on a jump hook in the paint to make it 56-45; however, ASU then responded with a 7-0 run to cut Arizona’s lead to just 56-52.
Hoping to prevent a repeat of what we saw in Tucson a couple of weeks ago, luckily for us, that would be the closest that the Sun Devils would get in this one!
Using a dominant offensive and defensive effort over the final stretch, Arizona came up big, holding ASU without a bucket over the last seven-plus minutes of game time, as they used a 22-7 run to close out the game with a convincing, 78-59 win!
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUND.#BearDown | #RunWithUs pic.twitter.com/bME9NOtdwu
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) March 11, 2023
With the win, the Wildcats improve to 27-6 (14-6) on the season and will resume basketball action on Saturday for a big challenge against UCLA in the Conference Finals. You may need to brew some more coffee for this one as Tip-off against the Bruins is set for 8:30 PM MST!
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