ASU did just enough to get a win over Oregon State in a 74-73 thriller Saturday night, winning its seventh game in a row and taking sole claim of first place in the Pac-12.
Junior guard Remy Martin dropped 17 points, grabbed three rebounds and dished four assists, while draining three 3-pointers.
The second half was a nail-biter throughout, with neither team ever leading by more than seven in the period.
With 1:19 left to go in the second half, ASU (19-8, 10-4 Pac-12) held onto a slim 74-73 lead. Junior guard Alonzo Verge Jr. missed a jumper with 30 seconds left, giving Oregon State (15-12, 5-10) a chance to win.
But, Oregon State freshman guard Jarod Lucas missed his 3-point attempt with under a second left, and ASU secured the rebound and the victory.
"We're just trying to keep our composure, stay connected as a team," junior forward Romello White said. "And that's really been helping us down the stretch. We're not going away from what we know or playing selfish. We're just sticking together as a team."
ASU faced a 40-37 halftime deficit after missing seven of eight shots to end the period. Oregon State shot 58.3% from the field in the first half and outrebounded the Sun Devils 17-10 in that time.
But the Sun Devils' offense clicked to start the second half, making five of their first seven shot attempts in the period.
"Another great barn burner," coach Bobby Hurley said. "Just proud of the guys, again, finding a way to win a close game. It's a tough game to play. I knew with Oregon State coming off the Arizona game (they) didn't want to get swept ... they gave us their best shot and they played well."
Verge finished the game with 17 points while shooting 7-13 from the field.
White made a large impact in the second half for the Sun Devils, scoring 10 of his 15 points in the final 20 minutes.
Junior forward Kimani Lawrence and redshirt senior guard Rob Edwards scored 14 and 10 points respectively, rounding out five ASU players who reached double-digit points.
"I was just being aggressive, letting the game come to me," Lawrence said. "Last game, I didn't play the way I wanted to. But, I try not to get too high or too low, so that's what's really been helping me lately."
ASU travels to Los Angeles to play UCLA next on Feb. 27 at 9 p.m. MST.
Reach the reporter at cvanligt@asu.edu and follow @Connor_VL on Twitter.
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