Arizona State survives must-win game at Colorado: 3 takeaways

The Sun Devils played without 5-star freshman Jayden Quaintance
Arizona State Sun Devils guard Alston Mason (1) controls the ball in the first half against the Colorado Buffaloes at CU Events Center.
Arizona State Sun Devils guard Alston Mason (1) controls the ball in the first half against the Colorado Buffaloes at CU Events Center. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Facing a must-win game without one of its best players, the Arizona State men's basketball team turned in one of its grittiest performances of the season on Tuesday night.

The Sun Devils held off Colorado 70-68 without five-star freshman Jayden Quaintance, who suffered an ankle injury in ASU's loss to Iowa State on Saturday.

Already operating at a significant deficit, Arizona State (12-8, 3-6) also lost leading scorer BJ Freeman to an upper left leg injury in the first half. Freeman only played four minutes, forcing coach Bobby Hurley to go with a six-man rotation for most of the game.

Shawn Phillips Jr. Steps Up

Junior big man Shawn Phillips Jr. got his opportunity against Colorado, and he didn't disappoint.

Phillips started in place of Quaintance and racked up 13 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks in 28 minutes. He was 5-of-7 from the field and 3-of-5 from the free throw line.

Phillips' biggest play of the game came on a block of a potential game-winning layup with 8 seconds left in the game. Phillips rotated over in help and threw the layup attempt into the stands to preserve ASU's one-point lead.

Joson Sanon Struggles

Arizona State's other five-star freshman, shooting guard Joson Sanon, struggled in his second game back from a high ankle sprain.

Sanon was 1-of-7 from the field, 0-of-5 from the 3-point line and finished with just 2 points and 2 assists in 30 minutes.

If the Sun Devils want to hang with rival Arizona on Saturday, Sanon needs to have a big game.

Adam Miller Has Big Game

Senior guard Adam Miller put the Sun Devils on his back for long stretches of the game. He finished with 18 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals in 39 minutes.

Miller was 7-of-10 from the field and 4-of-5 from the 3-point line.

He played spectacular defense, hounding the Buffaloes all game with ball pressure and active hands.

Alston Mason added 17 points for ASU, while Basheer Jihad had 11 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks.

The Sun Devils are back in action Saturday at 11 a.m. MST against rival Arizona.

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Ben Sherman
BEN SHERMAN

Ben Sherman has been covering the sports world for most of his journalism career, including 17 years with The Oregonian/OregonLive. One of his favorite memories was covering the 1999 Fiesta Bowl - the first BCS National Championship Game - at Sun Devil Stadium.