The Sun Devil men's basketball team defeated the Utah Utes 98-87 Saturday night, ending Utah's (14-11; 8-5 Pac-12) three-game winning streak. Arizona State (17-8; 8-5 Pac-12) limited the Utes to eight three-point field goals after Utah made 16 in its win in Tempe earlier this season.
Rob Edwards swooshed two closing free-throws, the final pair of his Sun Devil career-high 28 on 9-of-14 shooting.
It was almost fitting. He got the Sun Devils started.
Two triples and a layup pushed an early 11-2 Sun Devil lead. Later in the half, Edwards' netted another three, Remy Martin grabbed a steal, and Edwards finished on the other end for an old fashioned three-point play.
After leading 2-0, the Utes failed to regain the lead. Arizona State flirted with a double-digit advantage for most of the contest after leading early.
The Sun Devils had four in double figures on 54 percent shooting. Edwards and Luguentz Dort scored 15 at the break.
Zylan Cheatham provided the offense in the second half that ASU needed to preserve a road win. Cheatham scored 22 of his 24 points in the final 20 minutes on 7-of-9 shooting. The senior added 10 rebounds and notched his league-leading 11th double-double.
The final 20 minutes was decided at the free-throw line. Who could make their shots and battle through foul trouble with both teams in the bonus at the 14-minute mark?
The Sun Devils rose to the challenge, hitting 17-of-19 shots from the charity stripe in the second half and 20-of-24 for the game. Of the 36 Utah free-throws, 30 came in the second half and the home team connected on 20 such attempts.
It turned into "small ball" with Cheatham running the show, utilizing his versatility to play multiple positions. The Phoenix native has been so efficient that he is three points and five rebounds shy of seven more double-doubles this season.
Utah was able to get within seven after trading buckets down the stretch with Martin but the Sun Devils' free-throw shooting and rebounding advantage secured the lead.
Sparky is leading the Pac-12 in rebounding and has outrebounded 20-of-25 opponents this year. Arizona State has five games left in its schedule with matchups against Stanford and Cal at home this Wednesday (Feb. 20/7 p.m.) and Sunday (Feb. 24/4 p.m.).
Arizona State plays against Stanford on Feb. 20, at 7 p.m. (ESPN2).
Rob Edwards swooshed two closing free-throws, the final pair of his Sun Devil career-high 28 on 9-of-14 shooting.
It was almost fitting. He got the Sun Devils started.
Two triples and a layup pushed an early 11-2 Sun Devil lead. Later in the half, Edwards' netted another three, Remy Martin grabbed a steal, and Edwards finished on the other end for an old fashioned three-point play.
After leading 2-0, the Utes failed to regain the lead. Arizona State flirted with a double-digit advantage for most of the contest after leading early.
The Sun Devils had four in double figures on 54 percent shooting. Edwards and Luguentz Dort scored 15 at the break.
Zylan Cheatham provided the offense in the second half that ASU needed to preserve a road win. Cheatham scored 22 of his 24 points in the final 20 minutes on 7-of-9 shooting. The senior added 10 rebounds and notched his league-leading 11th double-double.
The final 20 minutes was decided at the free-throw line. Who could make their shots and battle through foul trouble with both teams in the bonus at the 14-minute mark?
The Sun Devils rose to the challenge, hitting 17-of-19 shots from the charity stripe in the second half and 20-of-24 for the game. Of the 36 Utah free-throws, 30 came in the second half and the home team connected on 20 such attempts.
It turned into "small ball" with Cheatham running the show, utilizing his versatility to play multiple positions. The Phoenix native has been so efficient that he is three points and five rebounds shy of seven more double-doubles this season.
Utah was able to get within seven after trading buckets down the stretch with Martin but the Sun Devils' free-throw shooting and rebounding advantage secured the lead.
Sparky is leading the Pac-12 in rebounding and has outrebounded 20-of-25 opponents this year. Arizona State has five games left in its schedule with matchups against Stanford and Cal at home this Wednesday (Feb. 20/7 p.m.) and Sunday (Feb. 24/4 p.m.).
Arizona State plays against Stanford on Feb. 20, at 7 p.m. (ESPN2).