All Sun Devils

Arizona State makes case for Top 25 ranking with upset of Saint Mary's in Acrisure Classic

The Sun Devils are now 7-1 with their lone loss coming to No. 3 Gonzaga

Ben Sherman

Arizona State freshman Jayden Quaintance (21).
Arizona State freshman Jayden Quaintance (21). / Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
In this story:

Less than a month into the season, the Arizona State men's basketball team is deserving of a Top 25 national ranking.

After beating New Mexico 85-82 on Thanksgiving night, the Sun Devils (7-1) made a statement with a 68-64 win over Saint Mary's (7-1) in the Acrisure Classic championship game Friday night.

Arizona State beat Saint Mary's at its own game, executing in the halfcourt and playing stifling defense. Fresman sensation Joson Sanon led the Sun Devils with 19 points and fellow frosh Jayden Quaintance added 10 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks.

Jordan Ross led Saint Mary's with 19 points and 7 rebounds, and Augustus Marciulonis added 13 points.

Read our game recap, with big-play highlights and in-game analysis from Arizona State's win over Saint Mary's in Palm Springs, California:

Second Half Updates

Arizona State 68, Saint Mary's 64, final: Great win by Arizona State. Despite shooting 5-of-18 from downtown, the Sun Devils showed they can win in other ways. They outscored the Gaels 38-22 in the paint and had 14 fastbreak points to just 4 for SMC.

Arizona State 65, Saint Mary's 62, 40 seconds left: Jayden Quaintance gathers a rebound, scores and gets fouled. He misses the free throw.

Arizona State 63, Saint Mary's 62, 2:08 left: Bobby Hurley calls a timeout with possession, up by one. Great ballgame.

Arizona State 59, Saint Mary's 58, 3:56 left: There have been nine lead changes in this game. Another NCAA Tournament-level contest.

Arizona State 50, Saint Mary's 47, 7:57 left: The Sun Devils are up three despite shooting 3-of-15 from downtown. SMC is 7-of-14. ASU's defense and ability to get downhill have been the difference so far. The Sun Devils have forced 12 turnovers, have a 14-3 advantage in fastbreak points and a 30-14 advantage in points in the paint.

Arizona State 46, Saint Mary's 40, 12:48 left: ASU freshman Joson Sanon drills back-to-back 3-pointers and Saint Mary's coach Randy Bennett calls timeout. Sanon has 16 points and is 7-of-11 from the field.

Arizona State 40, Saint Mary's 37, 15:05 left: Joson Sanon grabs a rebound and goes coast-to-coast to give the Sun Devils a three-point lead.

Arizona State 34, Saint Mary's 34, 19:00 to play: Jayden Quaintance blocks another shot, and this one leads to a fastbreak that ties the game. Quaintance came into the game third in the nation in blocks at 3.4 per game.

Halftime Stats: SMC 34, ASU 32

Saint Mary's guard Jordan Ross leads all scorers with 14 points on 3-of-3 from downtown. He came into the the game shooting 7.7% from the 3-point line and Arizona State went under ball screens and gave him easy looks. We'll see if he can continue to make them.

The Sun Devils are 1-of-8 from downtown and are struggling to score in the halfcourt. They quickened the pace at the end of the first half and got easy buckets in transition. That's clearly the formula to beat Saint Mary's. Freshmen Joson Sanon and Jayden Quaintance lead ASU with 8 points apiece.

First Half Updates

Saint Mary's 34, Arizona State 32, halftime: Good ballgame. The Gaels shot 5-of-7 from downtown in the first half, which was the difference.

Saint Mary's 31, Arizona State 30, 55 seconds left: The Sun Devils are trying to speed up the pace, and it's working. They go on an 8-1 run to cut the lead to one.

Saint Mary's 30, Arizona State 22, 2:50 left: SMC guard Jordan Ross, who came in shooting 7.7% from the 3-point line, is 3-of-3 from downtown.

Saint Mary's 22, Arizona State 19, 6:51 left: ASU freshman Joson Sanon hits a driving layup to cut Saint Mary's lead to three.

Saint Mary's 18, Arizona State 11, 10:42 left: Bobby Hurley calls a timeout after Saint Mary's goes on a 7-0 run.

Arizona State 11, Saint Mary's 11,13:16 left: This game is strength on strength with both teams attacking downhill and trying to get into the paint. The Sun Devils already have three blocked shots. Alston Mason leads ASU with five points.

Pregame Updates

The USC vs. Saint Louis women's game ran long, which will push back the tipoff of Arizona State vs. Saint Mary's by at least 15 minutes. The game is scheduled to tip off at roughly 7:50 p.m. MST.

More Arizona State & Big 12 Analysis

Published |Modified
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.

Home/Basketball