Utah Utes guard Hunter Erickson (0) fights for the ball against Arizona Sun Devils guard Frankie Collins (1) at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Feb. 10, 2023.
Marielle Scott, Deseret News
Arizona State snapped a five-game losing streak as Utah lost its second game in a row at the Huntsman Center, 85-77, on Saturday night.
Here are three keys to the game:
Arizona State guard Jose Perez had a big game, scoring 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Perez hit the dagger 3-point shot with 2:16 left after a layup by Keba Keita and a 3-pointer by Cole Bajema cut the Sun Devils’ lead to four points. Adam Miller added 16 points for ASU. The Sun Devils’ much-maligned recent defense, the main culprit in their lengthy losing streak, was improved against Utah. The Utes shot 46% from the field but were 32% from 3-point range and turned the ball over 13 times, leading to 21 points for Arizona State.Free-throw shooting was an issue once again for Utah after being a problem in the 3OT loss vs. Arizona on Thursday. The Utes were 46% from the free-throw line on Saturday after shooting 48% against the Wildcats.Arizona State thrived in the chippy game, with tempers coming to a boiling point after Sun Devil Alonzo Gaffney and Utah center Lawson Lovering got tangled up, which resulted in Lovering on the ground and got both benches fired up. Both players were assessed a double foul after a lengthy review, much to the chagrin of Ute coach Craig Smith and the Huntsman Center crowd.