ASU men’s basketball separates late in final non-conference tune-up, a win over UMass
Dec 21, 2024, 6:13 PM
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) — Basheer Jihad scored 20 points and Jayden Quaintance scored 19 points and Arizona State took control in the second half to beat UMass 78-62 on Saturday.
Alston Mason scored 13 points and BJ Freeman contributed 11 for Arizona State (9-2) which won for the seventh time in its last eight games.
Rahsool Diggins scored 24 points for the Minutemen who saw their two-game win streak end.
Jihad’s 3-pointer with 11:46 left to play gave the Sun Devils a 47-46 lead and the basket started an 11-0 run that put ASU ahead for good. Freeman’s 3 with 8:14 left gave the Sun Devils their first double-digit lead of the game.
RELATED STORIES
Jayden Ndjigue made two foul shots to cap a 7-2 UMass run to get the Minutemen within 62-56 but they never got closer. UMass led 33-31 at halftime.
The win gets ASU back on track after it struggled in a loss to then-No. 9 Florida at a neutral site in Atlanta. A win then could’ve landed the Sun Devils in the AP Top 25, but the loss left with 14 votes in the latest release.
It was the final non-conference opportunity to build on a resume that includes neutral-site wins over Saint Mary’s, Grand Canyon and Santa Clara with an 88-80 loss at Gonzaga representing the other loss.
The Sun Devils next play BYU on New Year’s Eve to start Big 12 Conference play. UMass (5-8) starts Atlantic 10 Conference play when it travels to face Saint Joseph’s on New Year’s Eve.
