Marreon Jackson scored 13 points and hit all eight free throws, including two with 3 seconds left, as Arizona State secured a 67-62 win over cross-town rival Grand Canyon on Thursday in Tempe, Ariz.
Former Arizona State players Holland Woods II and Taeshon Cherry made their first return to Tempe since transferring to Grand Canyon after last season.
Woods finished with 20 points and seven rebounds and Cherry had four points on 2-of-11 shooting, including 0 of 6 from 3-point range, before fouling out with 4:40 left.
Woods’ 3-pointer with three seconds remaining cut the deficit to 65-62. Jackson was fouled before the ball was inbounded, and he made two free throws to put the game out of reach.
DJ Horne and Kimani Lawrence each had 14 points for ASU, and Lawrence added 14 rebounds. Jay Heath scored 11 points, making 9 of 10 free throw attempts.
Neither team shot well from the field – both around 31 percent — but the Sun Devils overcame that by outscoring the Anteloupes at the foul line. The Sun Devils (4-6) finished 26 of 28 from the line, while Grand Canyon (8-2) attempted just 13 free throws and made eight.
Arizona State took an early 16-5 lead, but Grand Canyon responded with an 11-2 run.
The Sun Devils gradually built the lead to 33-24 at halftime. Jay Heath scored seven points on 7-of-8 shooting from the line.
Woods’ 3-pointer capped a 12-2 run with a 3-pointer to cut Arizona State’s lead to 42-41 with 9:19 left.
The Sun Devils built the lead to 57-48 with 3:08 remaining and Grand Canyon rallied again.
The Sun Devils have won consecutive games after losing five straight, including a 51-29 loss at home against Washington State last week.
–Field Level Media