No. 21 WSU falls to ASU 73-61, snapping 8-game win streak

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Jose Perez scored 16 points, Frankie Collins added 14 and Arizona State surprised No. 21 WSU 73-61 on Saturday night, ending the Cougars’ eight-game winning streak.

WSU Cougars 73, ASU Sun Devils 61: Box score

Washington State (21-7, 12-5 Pac-12) trailed by seven at halftime, but opened the second half on a 9-0 run to take a 38-36 lead, which was its first advantage since early in the first half.

Arizona State (14-14, 8-9) roared right back, scoring the next seven points to regain the lead. The Sun Devils wouldn’t trail again.

Arizona State upsets No. 21 Washington State in Tempe! Highlights ⤵️@PlayAtGila pic.twitter.com/vgepzbPObt

— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) February 25, 2024

“Our defense was up to the challenge tonight,” Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley said. “We did a lot of things you have to do to beat a team that’s very deserving of a top 25 ranking.”

The game stayed tight for the next several minutes, but every time the Cougars got a few buckets, it seemed the Sun Devils responded with a big shot. Arizona State’s defense turned up the pressure late with blocked shots on back-to-back possessions, and the last one resulted in a fastbreak layup for Adam Miller and a 64-55 lead with 3:38 left.

“We got outplayed today — we got outcompeted,” Washington State coach Kyle Smith said. “It’s more of a hat-tip to them. They came out from the get-go. We turned it over seven times in the first eight minutes and it put us on our heels.”

Miller’s 3-pointer with 1:50 left gave the Sun Devils a 69-57 lead. He finished with 12 points. Bryant Selebangue added nine points and seven rebounds, including four on the offensive end.

Arizona State stopped a two-game skid and bounced back from a gut-wrenching overtime loss to Washington on Thursday.

“We needed a spark,” Selebangue said. “Beating a ranked team, that’s something we needed.”

WSU split its two games since being ranked in the AP Top 25 for the first time since the 2007-08 season. The Cougars — now a half-game behind Arizona for the Pac-12 lead — scored a huge upset win over the fourth-ranked Wildcats on Thursday before falling to the Sun Devils.

Issac Jones led Washington State with 16 points and 11 rebounds. The Cougars shot just 3 of 18 (17%) on 3-pointers.

The Sun Devils went on a 13-0 run early in the first half and pushed to an 18-6 lead. The Cougars recovered fairly quickly, cutting the margin to one, but Arizona State took a 36-29 lead into halftime after shooting 53% from the field.

BIG PICTURE

WSU Cougars: The Cougars didn’t have a good start and that gave the Sun Devils some much-needed confidence. Washington State still looks like a solid NCAA Tournament team, but will now need some help from other teams to win the Pac-12 regular-season title.

ASU Sun Devils: The Sun Devils played some of their best basketball of the season, which is a good sign for ninth-year coach Bobby Hurley, whose job security is a lingering question.

UP NEXT

WSU Cougars: Host USC on Thursday.

ASU Sun Devils: Host Arizona on Wednesday.

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