Arizona State’s Desmond Cambridge Jr. shocked No. 7 Arizona with a buzzer-beating shot from beyond half court, providing an 89-88 victory in a wild, hot-shooting rivalry game on Saturday in Tucson, Ariz.
Arizona (25-5, 13-5 Pac-12) led 87-86 with 2.9 seconds left, but Oumar Ballo missed his first free-throw attempt before making the second. Cambridge took the inbounds pass near the free-throw line while curling to the right sideline and not guarded closely. He launched his shot after taking one dribble up court to give Arizona State (20-9, 11-7) a needed resume-building victory for its NCAA Tournament hopes.
Cambridge scored 19 to lead five Arizona State players in double figures in a rare ASU win in Tucson. The Sun Devils, who overcame a 10-point deficit with 6:30 to go, had won only once in Tucson since 2010.
Cedric Henderson Jr. scored 19 for Arizona, and Pelle Larsson appeared to have delivered the key basket as he drove for a layup for an 87-86 lead with 29 seconds left. ASU scrambled on offense after a timeout, with the possession ending with DJ Horne missing a 3-point attempt. Ballo grabbed the rebound and was fouled.
The scoring and the pace of the game favored Arizona’s style, but a typically defensive-minded Arizona State squad stayed step-for-step with the Wildcats.
ASU shot 53.7 percent, including making 11 of 28 3-pointers. Arizona finished at 50.9 percent, hitting 11 of 26 from behind the arc.
Neither team led by more than five points until Kerr Kriisa nailed a 3-pointer to give Arizona a 65-59 edge with 12:54 to go. The Wildcats later used a 7-0 run to go up 78-68 at the 6:30 mark but couldn’t shake the Sun Devils.
Horne had 18 points and seven assists for ASU, which overcame a big disparity at the free-throw line. The Wildcats made 23 of 34 attempts, while the Sun Devils went 6 of 10.
Azuolas Tubelis had 17 points and nine rebounds for Arizona. Larsson contributed 16 points. Ballo, who averages 14.6 points per game, was held to just seven points.
–Field Level Media
