TEMPE — ASU’s seemingly unbreakable habit of losing winnable games continued on Tuesday, as it again came up just short in a 71-70 loss to Kansas State at Desert Financial Arena.
Freshman Jayden Quaintance had free throws with 4.1 seconds left to potentially win the game, but he missed both as the Sun Devils trailed by one.
“I tried to remind him, ‘We wouldn’t be in the game if it wasn’t for you,'” senior point guard Alston Mason said of what the message to the 17-year-old was postgame. “JQ knows this is what he wants. This is his life. I know he’s gonna bounce back and want to do better. You just gotta let him understand this is one moment in his long basketball career.”
It felt fortunate that ASU had a chance to win late after how it had squandered away an exceptional start.
RELATED STORIES
ASU's Adam Miller ejected after reportedly slapping a Kansas State player
Arizona State stifles Kansas State offense with 15-0 opening run
It opened with an 18-2 lead by keeping Kansas State scoreless for nearly seven minutes to start. The Wildcats responded by outscoring ASU 33-14 the rest of the half to lead at the break, 35-32.
Head coach Bobby Hurley pointed to K-State’s 14-for-20 finish to the half as one of the bigger reasons for the loss, but there was also an over-reliance on the 3-point ball.
The Sun Devils got up 25 attempts (average coming in was 24.4 3-point attempts per game) in just the first half, finishing 12-for-37 (32.4%) for the game.
Hurley didn’t mind the quantity because 19 attempts were unguarded (without a defender within five feet). However, he noted, they only hit on five of those looks.
All contributed to yet another “just not enough” result.
ASU’s bad habit continues
In case you need a refresher, here’s how the most recent losses prior to Tuesday looked late compared with how they finished:
Arizona: four-point deficit with 1:37 left; nine-point loss Iowa State: one-point lead with 5:38 left; 15-point loss Cincinnati: four-point deficit with 6:03 left; seven-point loss UCF: one-point deficit with 1:30 left; six-point loss Baylor: forced overtime; six-point lossHurley said he’s searching for how to get back on track ahead of the Sun Devils’ next game on Sunday at noon MST at Oklahoma State, which was within nine points of top-10 Houston on Tuesday.
“Again, we’re right there, we’re knocking on the door in all these games and we just can’t figure out a way to get over the top. I’ll have to really think hard about that,” Hurley said. “I’ve tried to do the best job I can with this team, and I’m not getting through to them enough, and it’s not going well right now.”
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Kansas State loss the latest example of ASU basketball coming up just short )
Also on site :
- Punchestown betting offer: Bet £5 get £30 in free bets on Paddy Power
- GEPL Season 2 Tickets and Live Streaming Details Are Out
- Arsenal Hosts Paris Saint-Germain in Champions League Semi-Final First Leg