Eric SorensonOn a night star guard Remy Martin didn’t play his best, backcourt mates Alonzo Verge and Rob Edwards were there to pick up the slack as Arizona State upset 14th-ranked Oregon 77-72 Thursday in Tempe.
UPSET IN THE DESERT! ?
Arizona State knocks off No. 14 Oregon for their 6th-straight win! #ForksUp pic.twitter.com/PY6zpBvdPM
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) February 21, 2020
The victory marked ASU’s sixth-straight in Pac-12 play, a feat which dates all the way back to 1981.
“The confidence has always been there because we’ve always been a working hard team,” Verge said afterwards. “It’s just getting higher showing that on the court.”
Verge and Edwards kept #GuardU in good standings combining for 50 of the Sun Devils’ (18-8, 9-4) 77 points. Martin, despite missing a stretch in the first half after taking two elbows to the face on the same Oregon offensive possession, finished with 11 points and dished out five assists.
ASU was able to seize control late in the first half as the Ducks (20-7, 9-5) shot just 37 percent from the field and committed 11 turnovers in the first 20 minutes of action. The Devils lead ballooned to 34-23 going into the locker room.
However, as most quality teams do, Oregon came storming back in the second half behind talented senior guard Payton Pritchard who scored 18 points before fouling out late in the game.
Head coach Bobby Hurley mentioned the play of senior big men Mickey Mitchell and Romello White who combined for 12 points, 17 rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Goodnight, #SunDevilNation. ? pic.twitter.com/JhyYUCeqyv
— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) February 21, 2020
ASU will look to build on their win streak as Oregon State comes to town for a 7:00 tipoff on Saturday.
