Arizona State basketball gets its first true road win of the season beating No. 23 West Virginia 65-57.
“These teams are good, they’re very good defensively, they’re athletic, they’re physical,” Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley told reporters after a Jan. 11 overtime loss to Baylor. “We gotta be able to win an ugly game like this.”
Despite a couple of losses afterward, Hurley’s side managed to win that ugly game on Tuesday night in Morgantown. Not only was it their first true road win of the season, but also their first win over a ranked opponent since Feb. 24, 2024 with a 73-61 home win against then-No. 21 Washington State.
While both teams traded points in the opening minutes, the Maroon and Gold went on a 5-0 run to lead 24-23 at halftime. They followed it up with a 13-1 run to start the closing period. While the Mountaineers inched into the deficit, they were unable to regain it, disappointing fans after Saturday’s upset win over No. 3 Iowa State.
Here are three takeaways from the win.
Takeaway #1: Sun Devils limit Small, Mountaineer offense
Arizona State basketball knew it had to mark Javon Small, the Big 12’s leading scorer on Tuesday night, and did a great job against him. The senior guard, who tied a season-high 27 points against the Cyclones, was held to 14 points. However, 10 of those points came from the free-throw line. Small went 2-for-11 on field goals, and 0-for-8 from the three-point line.
After Small got his first field goal with 8:55 remaining in the second half, his teammates tried to get him the ball. When jump shots and three-pointers did not work, he leaned in to draw contact, choosing Arizona State freshman forward Jayden Quaintance as a target. But that was not enough to pull out a victory.
Forcing the conference’s leading scorer to resort to free throws is one thing. Holding the entire team to subpar nights is another.
Outside of Small and freshman forward Jonathan Powell’s 12 points, nobody in white jerseys reached double figures. The entire team went 18-for-58 from the field and 4-for-29 from three-point land. They only bested the Sun Devils on free throws, going 17-for-20.
Arizona State basketball showed it can match an elite defense in tight physical matchups on Tuesday night.
Takeaway #2: Mountaineers thrive in points off turnovers
However, the Maroon and Gold still struggled with ball security with 15 turnovers. They have now posted at least 10 turnovers in every game this season. On the other side, the Mountaineers had six turnovers.
The home side used the giveaways as a means of production with 28 points off turnovers, with 19 coming in the first half. They pressured the visitors into these mistakes, with 11 steals throughout the game and 13 fast break points.
Darian DeVries saw this from the sideline, and called for a full-court press in the waning minutes. While only forcing one turnover in this manner, Arizona State basketball players looked to their head coach for a timeout, or got the ball into attacking territory with just one or two seconds before a violation would have been called.
As the turnovers mounted, the crowd started to energize, especially when West Virginia trailed late. If it was not for Hurley using his timeouts and the Sun Devils’ constant response to a Mountaineer basket, the visitors may not have been the victors.
Takeaway #3: Arizona State forwards formidable against opposition
Arizona State basketball has experienced a jump from the norm this year. A school previously known as “Guard U,” it has relied on its forwards, Quaintance and senior Basheer Jihad for production on both sides of the ball. This has been emphasized over the past few weeks with freshman guard Joson Sanon still out with injury.
Quaintance has been a customary sighting in the paint. He showed it again on Tuesday night, with his sixth double-double of the season: 15 points and 12 rebounds. But a quality Quaintance performance also highlights his shot-blocking abilities. He blocked three shots, surpassing Mario Bennett for most blocks by an Arizona State basketball freshman.
While Quaintance remained steadfast to his previous numbers, Jihad did not register more than 10 points in the past four game. However, he exited his slump with 17 points and eight rebounds in Morgantown. He only picked up two fouls as well. Quaintance, redshirt senior guard Adam Miller, and senior guard/forward BJ Freeman finished the game with four fouls.
Nonetheless, Quaintance and Jihad anchored the Arizona State basketball defense to shield away West Virginia drives to the bucket. They also were in constant communication with the guards to receive entry passes in tight spaces as the game progressed.
Big bodies equal big problems for the opposition.
Up next for Arizona State basketball (11-7, 2-5): vs. No. 3 Iowa State (16-2, 6-1) – Jan. 25 at 2 p.m. EST
Up next for No. 23 West Virginia basketball (13-5, 4-3): at Kansas State (7-10, 1-5) – Jan. 25 at 6 p.m. EST