Arizona State falls short to No. 19 Gonzaga for first loss of the season

TEMPE, Ariz. – No. 19 Gonzaga took down Arizona State, 77-65. The Bulldogs made a huge statement on why they are ranked No. 19. Both teams played with good heads on their shoulders, but Mark Few’s Bulldogs found their way to come out on top against coach Bobby Hurley and the Sun Devils. 

Aside from the game, ASU got to see a familiar face on the court. Graduate Student guard Adam Miller transferred from ASU to Gonzaga during the offseason.

Miller played all 30 games with ASU during the 23-24 season, averaging 9.8 points per game. This is Miller’s first season with Gonzaga, and he’s averaging 10.7 points early into the 25-26 season. 

ASU had a spark early

As the season progresses, ASU needs to make adjustments to its defense. Early in the first half on Friday night, the Sun Devils dominated, both offensively and defensively. ASU led Gonzaga until midway through the first half.

That’s when things started clicking for the Bulldogs. Gonzaga took the weakness in the ASU defense and used it to its advantage. The Bulldigs took the lead with 12 minutes left in the first half, and continued to add points to the board as the first half came to a close.

The Bulldogs dominated going into halftime with a score of 45-32. Gonzaga’s surge in the first half was due to simple mistakes that Hurley is going to have to fix going further into the season. 

“When you play an opponent like this, you can’t miss free throws. We haven’t had a problem with that this year, but I know it has haunted us in the past,” Hurley said. “We certainly had no business doing that, especially today.”

Success will take time for this team

Despite falling short, the Sun Devils have a talented team. During both the first and second halves, ASU would go through rhythms, finding where its are comfortable on the court.

During the first, ASU shot nearly 30 percent from 3-point range. During the game, these were crucial and helped the Sun Devils stay right with Gonzaga.

Sophomore forward Santiago Trouet led the offense in eight points during the first half for ASU. However, Trouet only scored two more points in the second half.

During the second half, ASU began to pick up the pace. Junior guard Bryce Ford showed up for his team with 11 points and went 2-2 on free throws.

“You know, I am a hometown kid, and everyone is showing me love. I always appreciate that and the fans for showing out tonight. Sad we couldn’t bring home the win, but we will get back on the right track.”

This ASU team is completely new, and it’ll take time for the Sun Devils to thrive together. ASU has a chance to rebound right away with a game on Monday against Georgia State.

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