Three takeaways from Arizona State basketball’s loss to USC

Arizona State battled with USC all night but couldn’t overcome its poor 3-point shooting in its 81-73 loss to the Trojans.

USC jumped out to an early 13-4 lead less than five minutes into the game. But late in the second half the Sun Devils held the Trojans scoreless for 5:18 and scored 14 straight points. ASU regained the lead at that point, 25-20.

However, USC finished the half strong and tied the game at 32 at halftime.

It was a back-and-forth battle for the first eight minutes of the second half. ASU led 51-49 with 11:45 left in the game, but that would be the last lead it saw. USC’s fifth-year guard Boogie Ellis took over, scoring 11 points over a 3:25 stretch to give USC a 63-56 lead.

The Sun Devils made runs during the final eight minutes but could never pull even with the Trojans. USC’s 3-point shooting accuracy led to its 81-73 win over ASU.

Here are three takeaways from the game.

The three things that have plagued Arizona State all season continued to be an issue

ASU has severely struggled in 3-point shooting, free throw shooting, and rebounding all season, and nothing changed Wednesday night. Those three categories were dominated by USC and were a big reason ASU came up short.

The Sun Devils shot just 19% from 3-point territory, meanwhile, the Trojans made a blistering 50% of their 3-point attempts. ASU went 22-30 from the charity stripe, which is above its season average, but USC made 25-30 from the line. Lastly, USC outrebounded ASU 32 to 22 including nine offensive rebounds compared to ASU’s four.

The Sun Devils rank 11^th in free throw percentage and rebounding and last in 3-point percentage in the Pac-12.

USC ranks fourth in the conference in 3-point percentage but only averages 35.7%. ASU averages 30.5% from beyond the arc. The two teams’ respective 3-point shooting was the largest outlier Wednesday that allowed USC to separate from ASU.

USC rebounded around its average (34.3), but ASU (33.1) came up a little short. It is interesting because the Sun Devils shot better from the field (50%) than the Trojans (46%), but USC’s nine offensive rebounds gave them extra possessions to work with.

Both teams made more than their respective averages from the free-throw line. Although ASU is 11^th in the conference shooting 66.4%, USC is just one spot above them shooting 68.9%. But Wednesday night USC made an astounding 83% of its free throws. ASU missed eight free throws and four of them came in the final 10 minutes of the game, including the front end of a one-and-one.

ASU needs to figure out how to clean these areas up if it wants to make a run in the Pac-12 tournament.

Stars in foul trouble

Both USC and ASU found their stars in foul trouble for most of the night.

Junior guard Frankie Collins fouled out with 2:59 left in the game. ASU was down six points at that point and lost its leader for the rest of the game.

Although Collins did not light up the stat sheet Wednesday night, he did have double figures on an efficient 4-6 shooting. He also racked up four steals and six assists. ASU was minus seven points without Collins on the floor, which is just one off the total the Sun Devils lost by.

USC’s freshman guard Isaiah Collier and fifth-year guard Boogie Ellis also dealt with foul trouble. Collier was able to fit in his usual minutes but with multiple trips to the bench in between, not allowing him to get in his shooting rhythm. He picked up an early foul in the first half and two early fouls in the second half, which sent him to the bench. He’d end up missing almost half of the second half due to foul trouble and only scoring eight points. Collier averaged 17 points per game coming into Wednesday night.

Ellis on the other hand, was the difference in the game, despite his lack of minutes due to foul trouble. The fifth-year guard grabbed two fouls in the first seven minutes and played just nine minutes in the first half. But Ellis stayed out of foul trouble in the second half, played 16 minutes, and scored 20 points. USC was plus 20 points with Ellis on the court and minus 12 points when he was on the bench. Ellis finished the game with 28 points in just 25 minutes, including 6-8 from 3-point territory.

ASU didn’t have to face Collier or Ellis in the first matchup with USC. The Sun Devils were able to contain Collier this time, but Ellis put on a show for the Trojans.

Jose Perez’s big night

Graduate student guard Jose Perez led ASU in scoring with 25 points, which was his second-highest total on the season. Perez was efficient shooting seven of 12 from the field and was a perfect 11 for 11 at the line.

Down the stretch, it seemed every time ASU needed a basket to stay within striking distance Perez was there. He scored 19 of his 25 points in the second half, including 13 points in the final 6:06.

Perez has now scored double figures in seven straight games and 13 of his last 15. However, recently he’s shown a greater ability to get to the free throw line. Perez has 10 or more free throw attempts in three of his last four games and has missed a combined four attempts over the last three games.

The grad student has talked a lot this season about his ability to get to the free throw line being a safety blanket in his repertoire. He’s felt he should have been getting more chances at the line this season, and now those chances are coming.

Perez’s ability to drive to the rim and create contact is a big part of ASU’s offensive attack and will be key if ASU wants to make a run in the Pac-12 tournament.

ASU has its final regular season game Saturday at 9 p.m. against UCLA. The game still has a lot of importance with regards to seeding in the Pac-12 tournament. Seeds five through 10 are all 1 ½ games apart, and ASU could end up in any one of those spots.

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