A thrilling late surge propelled Arizona State to an 82-79 victory over Santa Clara on Saturday, snapping a 19-point second-half deficit in the Jack Jones Classic at Lee’s Family Forum. Massamba Diop and Anthony Johnson each finished with 15 points for the Sun Devils, who improved to 9-2 with the rally.
Diop shot 6-for-10 and pulled down nine rebounds, while Johnson went 3-for-5 from the floor and connected on a three-pointer, then went 8-for-9 at the charity stripe.
Andrija Grbovic led Santa Clara with 13 points on three triples, and Maurice Odum contributed 12 points, seven rebounds, and four steals for ASU. Christian Hammond poured in 22 points on four triples to pace the Broncos, who moved to 8-3. Elijah Mahi had 17 points and six boards, Sash Gavalyugov added 12 off the bench, and Bukky Oboye chipped in 10 before fouling out.
Hammond’s late three sparked a sequence that included a technical foul on Sun Devils coach Bobby Hurley with four seconds left. The ensuing free throws and a layup stretched Santa Clara’s lead to 55-38 at halftime.
The Broncos built their largest cushion of the night early in the second half, grabbing a 60-41 edge just over a minute into the period and holding a 15-point advantage with 15 minutes remaining before the drought began. Arizona State responded with a 14-0 run until Oboye halted it with a three for Santa Clara, tying the game at 66 with 8:16 left.
A pivotal moment followed when Diop converted two free throws after a turnover and then slammed home a dunk to put the Sun Devils ahead for good. They maintained the lead over the closing minutes, finishing on top by three.
Up next
Arizona State visits No. 25 UCLA on Wednesday.
Santa Clara welcomes North Texas on the same night.
