ASU (19-11, 10-7 Pac-12) faltered down the stretch in a tough 90-83 loss to Washington (14-16, 4-13 Pac-12) in Tempe on Thursday evening.
The Sun Devils dropped their third consecutive conference game and lost to an opponent that had just three Pac-12 wins before Thursday.
Up four at the start of the second half, ASU scored 16 points in under five minutes to take a 61-49 lead. The Huskies would cut that lead to two with roughly 12 minutes remaining in the second half. Approximately four minutes later, Washington had successfully flipped the script to jump out to a 69-65 lead.
"(It was a) tough game," head coach Bobby Hurley said. "They shot well. Our defense hasn't been what it was prior to us going to LA. We gave up 11 threes, we didn't guard them from two or three."
Things did not get better for ASU. Poor shooting and sloppy play plagued the Sun Devils as they found themselves in a 83-74 hole with just under two minutes left. The Sun Devils kept fouling Washington players to stop the clock and drained three shots from deep to close the gap, but not in time to prevent the loss.
Hurley spoke on how ASU's defensive struggles impeded their strategy and interfered with offensive execution.
"It just made life really difficult on us," Hurley said. "That was the story of the game."
Redshirt senior guard Rob Edwards led ASU in scoring with 23 points. Edwards sunk five three-pointers and grabbed six rebounds to go along with three steals.
Edwards provided the highlight of the night during the first half as he pickpocketed a Washington player and, during the ensuing fast break, took to the skies for a one-handed dunk that sent the Desert Financial Arena crowd into a frenzy.
Junior guard Alonzo Verge Jr. was sharp with 19 points off the bench, draining four threes and dishing three assists.
Redshirt junior forward Romello White put out a balanced performance with nine points, five rebounds and four assists. Junior guard Remy Martin had a similar night on paper with six points, four rebounds and six assists, but did it on 2-14 shooting and 1-10 from deep.
"It just wasn't my night," Martin said. "I don't think I have too many nights like this, but when it does, it stings, because I put so much work into it. I think I just need to do a better job of making plays."
Sophomore forward Taeshon Cherry provided a nice boost off the bench with 13 points and seven rebounds in his ninth double-digit game as a Sun Devil. The Sun Devils had won all eight of the prior contests.
An active first half in which ASU lead by 10 at one point and shot 6-11 from beyond the arc only gave the Sun Devils a 45-41 advantage over the Huskies. Washington shot just five free throws to ASU's fifteen in the first half.
It was Washington's tenacity that would ultimately prove too much for the ASU to handle.
ASU looks to end the regular season strong against Washington State at home Saturday at 4:30 p.m. MST for senior night.
Reach the reporter at cvanligt@asu.edu and follow @Connor_VL on Twitter.
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