Arizona State basketball loses Maui Invitational championship game to USC

Arizona State men’s basketball battled former Pac-12 foe USC for the first 30 minutes of Wednesday’s Maui Invitational championship game, but the Trojans pulled away late for an 88-73 victory.

The game was tied 43-43 at halftime, as there were nine lead changes in the first 11 minutes and no lead grew bigger than six points.

USC ran out to a 12-4 start in the second half, and after ASU cut the deficit to three with nine minutes left, the Trojans went on an 11-3 run to put the game away.

The Sun Devils were outshot 60% to 38% from the floor, and USC won the rebounding battle 32-21. ASU had advantages at the free-throw line and on the fast break.

Moe Odum led the Sun Devils with 17 points, while Anthony “Pig” Johnson added 15. Odum finished the tournament scoring 26.3 points per game and hit the game-winning shot over Texas to open a standout tournament for the senior guard.

Chad Baker-Mazara scored a game-high 23 points for the Trojans. Baker-Mazara won the tournament MVP award.

This was the first game between ASU and USC since their final Pac-12 matchup on March 7, 2024.

ASU defeated Washington State on Tuesday en route to the title game, overcoming double-digit deficits in both of its victories. The Sun Devils’ only Maui Invitational Championship win came in 1994, having been back four times since.

After returning home, ASU gets time to recover before facing Oklahoma on Dec. 6 at Mortgage Matchup Center as part of the Jerry Colangelo Classic.

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