It took nearly the entire 40 minutes for the ASU men’s basketball team to pull out a win, despite the discrepancy in play.
Junior wing Carrick Felix sunk two free throws with 11.7 seconds left to seal the win over Utah on Thursday, 56–52. Felix finished with a game-high 15 points and added eight rebounds.
The Sun Devils (8-16, 4-8 Pac-12) shot 47.5 percent from the floor and 11 of their 19 field goals came from assists.
Turnovers hampered ASU’s play, as has been the case the majority of the season. The team committed 20 turnovers.
The Utes (5-19, 2-10 Pac-12) scored just 10 points off the mistakes.
“It continues to be nothing short of amazing at times,“ coach Herb Sendek said about the consistently high number of turnovers.
The Sun Devils did clamp down on defense, forcing the Utes to shoot just 30.4 percent. Only junior guard Chris Hines reached double figures for Utah. He had 10 points on 3-of-15 shooting.
ASU outrebounded Utah 40-22 on the glass.
“When we made defensive stops, that’s when we gained momentum,” sophomore forward Jordan Bachynski said. “That’s when we gained energy.”
Even with Dayglow Night at Wells Fargo Arena, Bachynski continued to stand out for the Sun Devils. The neon green and hot pink hats given away in the student section couldn’t outshine his game.
Bachynski picked up his first career double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. He was also very aggressive on the defensive end with four blocks.
His string of impressive performances began at Utah almost three weeks ago. In the past seven games, Bachynski has averaged 11 points and seven rebounds. He’s shooting 71 percent in that span.
“He’s definitely being a beast right now,” Felix said. “He’s going to have to continue that for us.”
The Sun Devils welcomed the return of junior guard Trent Lockett, who missed the past six games due to a sprained right ankle. Coach Herb Sendek did not know what to expect from Lockett, but the guard managed to log 36 minutes. Lockett had 12 points and six rebounds.
“He definitely brought a lot of energy and another voice on the court is always good,” Felix said. “He came out there and gave 100 percent and just encouraged us.”
ASU has now won its last two home games. It will try to make it three-straight home wins Saturday against Colorado.
It will be a tougher task defeating the Buffaloes, though. They blew out the Sun Devils in their first matchup, 69–54 in Boulder, Colo.
Colorado had four players in double figures in its victory over the Sun Devils. Sophomore forward André Roberson had 12 points, 10 rebounds and a jaw-dropping dunk over Bachynski.
Lockett thinks Colorado will have a similar game plan Saturday as Utah did Thursday.
“They’re going to try and get up in us, bring energy and be physical on the glass,” Lockett said. “They have a little bit better talent on their team as far as guard play, and their big men can finish well around the hoop. We’ll just have to step it up a notch.”
Tipoff is at 4:30 p.m. on Fox Sports Arizona and 620 AM.
Reach the reporter at mtesfats@asu.edu
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