Arizona State’s Desmond Cambridge Jr. shocked No. 7 Arizona with a buzzer-beating shot from beyond half court, providing an 89-88 victory in a wild, hot-shooting rivalry game on Saturday in Tucson, Ariz.
Arizona (25-5, 13-5 Pac-12) led 87-86 with 2.9 seconds left, but Oumar Ballo missed his first free-throw attempt before making the second. Cambridge took the inbounds pass near the free-throw line while curling to the right sideline and not guarded closely. He launched his shot after taking one dribble up court to give Arizona State (20-9, 11-7) a needed resume-building victory for its NCAA Tournament hopes.
Cambridge scored 19 to lead five Arizona State players in double figures in a rare ASU win in Tucson. The Sun Devils, who overcame a 10-point deficit with 6:30 to go, had won only once in Tucson since 2010.
Cedric Henderson Jr. scored 19 for Arizona, and Pelle Larsson appeared to have delivered the key basket as he drove for a layup for an 87-86 lead with 29 seconds left. ASU scrambled on offense after a timeout, with the possession ending with DJ Horne missing a 3-point attempt. Ballo grabbed the rebound and was fouled.
The scoring and the pace of the game favored Arizona’s style, but a typically defensive-minded Arizona State squad stayed step-for-step with the Wildcats.
ASU shot 53.7 percent, including making 11 of 28 3-pointers. Arizona finished at 50.9 percent, hitting 11 of 26 from behind the arc.
Neither team led by more than five points until Kerr Kriisa nailed a 3-pointer to give Arizona a 65-59 edge with 12:54 to go. The Wildcats later used a 7-0 run to go up 78-68 at the 6:30 mark but couldn’t shake the Sun Devils.
Horne had 18 points and seven assists for ASU, which overcame a big disparity at the free-throw line. The Wildcats made 23 of 34 attempts, while the Sun Devils went 6 of 10.
Azuolas Tubelis had 17 points and nine rebounds for Arizona. Larsson contributed 16 points. Oumar Ballo, who averages 14.6 points per game, was held to just seven points.
–Field Level Media
