TEMPE – Sun Devil Men's Basketball hosted No. 3 Iowa State at Desert Financial Arena on Saturday.
In a back-and-forth affair, Arizona State (11-8, 2-6) was unable to pull off the upset as Iowa State (17-2, 7-1) left Tempe with a 76-61 win. The Sun Devils went shot-for-shot with the Cyclones and led by as many as seven points in the second half. However, Iowa State pulled away with a late 11-0 scoring run.
Shawn Phillips Jr. turned in a standout defensive performance, recording a career-high four blocks and one steal. Adam Miller was the leading scorer for the Sun Devils, providing 13 points. Nine of Miller's points came from beyond the arc. BJ Freeman and Alston Mason did a swell job of distributing, as both notched five assists on the day. In his return from injury, Joson Sanon finished with eight points, three boards, one block and one steal.
First Half:
BJ Freeman got the Sun Devils on the board first with a contested finish in tight. Jayden Quaintance followed it up with a three to give Arizona State an early 5-0 lead. ASU's defense came out hot, holding Iowa State scoreless through the first four minutes of the contest.
Shawn Phillips Jr. made his presence felt with a putback slam to give ASU a 9-4 advantage with 13:19 remaining. Down 12-9, Joson Sanon scored on a nifty finish to cut the Cyclones lead to one midway through the first half. With 8:41 left, Adam Miller swished two free throws to tie the game at 15.
Iowa State then took a 20-15 lead, but Basheer Jihad scored with contact to cut the lead to three. Following a 30-second defensive possession, the Sun Devils had some nice ball movement to open up Miller for a game-tying three-pointer. Miller struck once again with another downtown shot to put ASU in front 23-22.
Down 26-24, the Sun Devils stayed hot from beyond the arc as BJ Freeman knocked down a trey to give Arizona State the lead with 4:05 remaining. Joson Sanon brought the house down with a corner 3-pointer to push the ASU lead to four. Alston Mason then found his way to the cup to give the Sun Devils a 36-31 advantage, extending an offensive explosion as the team made 7 of their last 8 baskets.
Ahead 37-33, ASU called a timeout with 37 seconds left, and the Sun Devils came out of the break with a vengeance. Alston Mason hit a three from the pitchfork as the shot clock expired and Shawn Phillips Jr. rejected an Iowa State shot to end a thrilling first half. Arizona State headed into halftime holding a 40-33 lead.
Second Half:
ASU's first points of the second half came from Basheer Jihad at the charity stripe which gave the Sun Devils a 42-39 lead. Shawn Phillips Jr. came up with big plays on both ends, notching another block and extending the lead to five with a dunk. BJ Freeman then connected with Basheer Jihad on a sweet lob to push the lead to seven.
Leading 46-45, Joson Sanon connected on his second three of the day with 14:08 remaining. With ASU ahead 50-45, Iowa State scored five straight to tie the game heading into a media timeout with 11:32 to go. Emerging from the timeout, Adam Miller put Arizona State up by two.
With Iowa State leading 53-52, Alston Mason used a soft touch to slide the Sun Devils in front once more. After a media timeout with 7:24 remaining, the back-and-forth action continued. BJ Freeman nailed two free throws to give ASU a 58-57 lead and Iowa State called a timeout with 5:23 to go.
Coming out of the timeout, the Cyclones went on a 9-0 run to surge ahead 66-58. The Sun Devils called a timeout with 3:45 left to regroup. Iowa State proceeded to take the first double-digit lead of the game 68-58, but Adam Miller got it back to seven with a three-pointer. The Cyclones were able to get their lead back up to double-figures and the Sun Devils ended up falling 76-61.
Sansational Shooter
Due to injury, Arizona State was without the services of guard Joson Sanon against Colorado, Kansas, UCF, Cincinnati, and West Virginia. When in the lineup, he has been in the conversation for best freshman in the country during ASU's strong start. Sanon came into the game ranking first in the Big 12 from deep if he qualified with enough attempts and improved on that total today. He is now shooting 31-of-64 (48.4%) from three-point range this season. Sanon is 23rd nationally among freshman (13th Power 4 + Big East) in points per game.
Mr. Reliable
Senior guard Alston Mason has been a steady presence in the lineup for Head Coach Bobby Hurley at point guard. Mason has led the team in minutes in 16 of the 19 games, including playing 37+ minutes in seven straight games. He once again led in minutes for ASU with 38 against Iowa State. He is now up to 35.4 minutes per game, which is neck-and-neck with West Virginia's Javon Small (36.0) for the most in the Big 12 and also Top-50 nationally. Mason is also shooting a team-high 79.3% from the free-throw line.
Quotables
Arizona State Head Coach Bobby Hurley
Opening Statement:
"I'm pretty pleased with our effort. We were right there against a top team. Take away the two minutes from the six minute mark or the five minute mark to under four, then it's a different game. We just didn't make those plays. We gambled a little bit on defense and (Keshon) Gilbert hit a three, and then we threw the ball away out of the post. So you can't afford to do that down the stretch. You have to make plays and we didn't do it. Then it was a fiasco at the end again with the intentional foul and flagrant fouls. That was a joke, I watched that. We can't control someone that's just launching his body laterally and then he falls bad. I'm sorry you fell bad, but you didn't jump straight up. But that stuff is just normal and that happens or seems to happen to us quite a bit. Iowa State played really hard, and I have a lot of respect for their team and how they defended. (Curtis) Jones, he was impressive. I mean he was playing a different game than everybody else was today. Not only his offense, but he was face guarding us, denying us on defense and picking up full court. They played a complete game."
On the performance of Shawn Phillips Jr.:
"Bright spot for sure. When you lose a game like this where you gave it everything you got and you're right there to do it with a top team in your building, you're trying to find some type of bright spot in the darkness. Shawn was definitely that. His block at the end of the first half, his rebounding and his presence out there in the paint was fantastic. His attitude, everything with his teammates and how he interacted with everybody today. He took a big step today and hopefully we keep taking steps with Shawn. He's got great upside if he just stays focused and we keep him going in the right direction."
On having the Big 12 Champion Sun Devil Football team in attendance:
"I'm happy for them. I love that they could be celebrated. Let's celebrate greatness. What they did this year was off the chain in terms of just energizing everybody and getting people excited again about the program. They're the front door of the whole department and the whole university. They represented us unbelievably. The individual players like Skattebo and these guys are legendary now for what they achieved. So I'm glad that they could be here and enjoy it."
Senior Forward Basheer Jihad
On limiting his turnovers:
"I have to make better decisions with the ball, I can't have 6 turnovers in a game like that and turn it over late. That's on me and I have to be better with that and make the right read. I was seeing things that weren't there; that's what their defense is and what they're good at. I just have to be better with that, I got to limit my turnovers and make better decisions."
On if the team has a high level of confidence going forward:
"Definitely, it's like what Coach Hurley said, we can win the rest of our games if we play how we're supposed to. We have extreme confidence in our personnel and what we have here, so we're confident for sure."
Up Next:
Sun Devil Men's Basketball will be traveling to Boulder to take on Colorado for the second time this season on January 28th at 7:00 p.m. MST. Coverage can be seen on ESPN+.
Sun Devils on Social
For exclusive content, the latest updates, and more information on the Sun Devil Men's Basketball program, follow our X/Instagram accounts (@SunDevilHoops), like our Facebook page (facebook.com/SunDevilHoops/), and visit our website (thesundevils.com). Follow Coach Hurley on X (@BobbyHurley11).
In a back-and-forth affair, Arizona State (11-8, 2-6) was unable to pull off the upset as Iowa State (17-2, 7-1) left Tempe with a 76-61 win. The Sun Devils went shot-for-shot with the Cyclones and led by as many as seven points in the second half. However, Iowa State pulled away with a late 11-0 scoring run.
Shawn Phillips Jr. turned in a standout defensive performance, recording a career-high four blocks and one steal. Adam Miller was the leading scorer for the Sun Devils, providing 13 points. Nine of Miller's points came from beyond the arc. BJ Freeman and Alston Mason did a swell job of distributing, as both notched five assists on the day. In his return from injury, Joson Sanon finished with eight points, three boards, one block and one steal.
First Half:
BJ Freeman got the Sun Devils on the board first with a contested finish in tight. Jayden Quaintance followed it up with a three to give Arizona State an early 5-0 lead. ASU's defense came out hot, holding Iowa State scoreless through the first four minutes of the contest.
Shawn Phillips Jr. made his presence felt with a putback slam to give ASU a 9-4 advantage with 13:19 remaining. Down 12-9, Joson Sanon scored on a nifty finish to cut the Cyclones lead to one midway through the first half. With 8:41 left, Adam Miller swished two free throws to tie the game at 15.
Iowa State then took a 20-15 lead, but Basheer Jihad scored with contact to cut the lead to three. Following a 30-second defensive possession, the Sun Devils had some nice ball movement to open up Miller for a game-tying three-pointer. Miller struck once again with another downtown shot to put ASU in front 23-22.
Down 26-24, the Sun Devils stayed hot from beyond the arc as BJ Freeman knocked down a trey to give Arizona State the lead with 4:05 remaining. Joson Sanon brought the house down with a corner 3-pointer to push the ASU lead to four. Alston Mason then found his way to the cup to give the Sun Devils a 36-31 advantage, extending an offensive explosion as the team made 7 of their last 8 baskets.
Ahead 37-33, ASU called a timeout with 37 seconds left, and the Sun Devils came out of the break with a vengeance. Alston Mason hit a three from the pitchfork as the shot clock expired and Shawn Phillips Jr. rejected an Iowa State shot to end a thrilling first half. Arizona State headed into halftime holding a 40-33 lead.
Second Half:
ASU's first points of the second half came from Basheer Jihad at the charity stripe which gave the Sun Devils a 42-39 lead. Shawn Phillips Jr. came up with big plays on both ends, notching another block and extending the lead to five with a dunk. BJ Freeman then connected with Basheer Jihad on a sweet lob to push the lead to seven.
Leading 46-45, Joson Sanon connected on his second three of the day with 14:08 remaining. With ASU ahead 50-45, Iowa State scored five straight to tie the game heading into a media timeout with 11:32 to go. Emerging from the timeout, Adam Miller put Arizona State up by two.
With Iowa State leading 53-52, Alston Mason used a soft touch to slide the Sun Devils in front once more. After a media timeout with 7:24 remaining, the back-and-forth action continued. BJ Freeman nailed two free throws to give ASU a 58-57 lead and Iowa State called a timeout with 5:23 to go.
Coming out of the timeout, the Cyclones went on a 9-0 run to surge ahead 66-58. The Sun Devils called a timeout with 3:45 left to regroup. Iowa State proceeded to take the first double-digit lead of the game 68-58, but Adam Miller got it back to seven with a three-pointer. The Cyclones were able to get their lead back up to double-figures and the Sun Devils ended up falling 76-61.
Sansational Shooter
Due to injury, Arizona State was without the services of guard Joson Sanon against Colorado, Kansas, UCF, Cincinnati, and West Virginia. When in the lineup, he has been in the conversation for best freshman in the country during ASU's strong start. Sanon came into the game ranking first in the Big 12 from deep if he qualified with enough attempts and improved on that total today. He is now shooting 31-of-64 (48.4%) from three-point range this season. Sanon is 23rd nationally among freshman (13th Power 4 + Big East) in points per game.
Mr. Reliable
Senior guard Alston Mason has been a steady presence in the lineup for Head Coach Bobby Hurley at point guard. Mason has led the team in minutes in 16 of the 19 games, including playing 37+ minutes in seven straight games. He once again led in minutes for ASU with 38 against Iowa State. He is now up to 35.4 minutes per game, which is neck-and-neck with West Virginia's Javon Small (36.0) for the most in the Big 12 and also Top-50 nationally. Mason is also shooting a team-high 79.3% from the free-throw line.
Quotables
Arizona State Head Coach Bobby Hurley
Opening Statement:
"I'm pretty pleased with our effort. We were right there against a top team. Take away the two minutes from the six minute mark or the five minute mark to under four, then it's a different game. We just didn't make those plays. We gambled a little bit on defense and (Keshon) Gilbert hit a three, and then we threw the ball away out of the post. So you can't afford to do that down the stretch. You have to make plays and we didn't do it. Then it was a fiasco at the end again with the intentional foul and flagrant fouls. That was a joke, I watched that. We can't control someone that's just launching his body laterally and then he falls bad. I'm sorry you fell bad, but you didn't jump straight up. But that stuff is just normal and that happens or seems to happen to us quite a bit. Iowa State played really hard, and I have a lot of respect for their team and how they defended. (Curtis) Jones, he was impressive. I mean he was playing a different game than everybody else was today. Not only his offense, but he was face guarding us, denying us on defense and picking up full court. They played a complete game."
On the performance of Shawn Phillips Jr.:
"Bright spot for sure. When you lose a game like this where you gave it everything you got and you're right there to do it with a top team in your building, you're trying to find some type of bright spot in the darkness. Shawn was definitely that. His block at the end of the first half, his rebounding and his presence out there in the paint was fantastic. His attitude, everything with his teammates and how he interacted with everybody today. He took a big step today and hopefully we keep taking steps with Shawn. He's got great upside if he just stays focused and we keep him going in the right direction."
On having the Big 12 Champion Sun Devil Football team in attendance:
"I'm happy for them. I love that they could be celebrated. Let's celebrate greatness. What they did this year was off the chain in terms of just energizing everybody and getting people excited again about the program. They're the front door of the whole department and the whole university. They represented us unbelievably. The individual players like Skattebo and these guys are legendary now for what they achieved. So I'm glad that they could be here and enjoy it."
Senior Forward Basheer Jihad
On limiting his turnovers:
"I have to make better decisions with the ball, I can't have 6 turnovers in a game like that and turn it over late. That's on me and I have to be better with that and make the right read. I was seeing things that weren't there; that's what their defense is and what they're good at. I just have to be better with that, I got to limit my turnovers and make better decisions."
On if the team has a high level of confidence going forward:
"Definitely, it's like what Coach Hurley said, we can win the rest of our games if we play how we're supposed to. We have extreme confidence in our personnel and what we have here, so we're confident for sure."
Up Next:
Sun Devil Men's Basketball will be traveling to Boulder to take on Colorado for the second time this season on January 28th at 7:00 p.m. MST. Coverage can be seen on ESPN+.
Sun Devils on Social
For exclusive content, the latest updates, and more information on the Sun Devil Men's Basketball program, follow our X/Instagram accounts (@SunDevilHoops), like our Facebook page (facebook.com/SunDevilHoops/), and visit our website (thesundevils.com). Follow Coach Hurley on X (@BobbyHurley11).