National Basketball Association
Arizona State 71, Grand Canyon 70
When: 4:00 PM ET, Sunday, December 13, 2020
Where: GCU Arena, Phoenix, Arizona
Officials:
# Randy McCall, # Larry Spaulding, # DG Nelson
Attendance:
N/A
By Field Level Media
Remy Martin scored 23 of his 31 points in the second half, including the game-winning 3-pointer with nine seconds left, to give No. 23 Arizona State a 71-70 win over crosstown opponent Grand Canyon at Phoenix on Sunday.
ASU (4-2) held on to win when Jovan Blacksher Jr.'s attempted 3-pointer over Holland Woods at the buzzer rolled around the rim and out.
Blacksher had made a 3-pointer to trim ASU's lead to 68-67 with 1:12 left in regulation.
After Alonzo Verge missed a jumper on the other end, Alessandro Lever made another shot from beyond the arc to give Grand Canyon (4-1) a 70-68 lead with 30 seconds left.
Following an ASU timeout, Martin hit his 3-pointer from the corner to put ASU back on top for good.
Martin made 12 of 21 shots from the field and 3 of 6 from 3-point range to lead ASU's hot shooting performance. The Sun Devils made 54.8 percent of their shots in the second half.
Josh Christopher finished with 11 points and four rebounds, and Woods added 10 points.
Blacksher had 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting, with five assists. Frontcourt players Asbjorn Midtgaard (14 points and nine rebounds) and Lever (18 points on 7-of-10 shooting) were dominant inside.
Neither team had more than a five-point lead in the second half until Martin made a 3-pointer with 10:15 left in regulation to give the Sun Devils a 56-48 lead. The shot was part of a 10-3 run that included five points apiece from Martin and Christopher.
Consecutive 3-point plays by Blacksher and Dixon cut ASU's lead to 56-54 with 8:01 remaining.
Both teams went on runs late in the first half to keep the game close.
Two layups by Blacksher in the last 28 seconds, including after his steal while Martin dribbled with his back turned while looking at coach Bobby Hurley, gave Grand Canyon a 30-29 lead.
This is the first time ASU and Grand Canyon faced each other as Division I opponents.
Grand Canyon is in its eighth season in Division I playing in the WAC. The Antelopes were previously in the NAIA and won three national titles at that level.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
Arizona State |
|
Grand Canyon |
Remy Martin 31 |
Scoring |
Jovan Blacksher Jr. 21 |
Remy Martin 4 |
Assists |
Jovan Blacksher Jr. 5 |
Kimani Lawrence 6 |
Rebounds |
Asbjorn Midtgaard 9 |
Josh Christopher 4 |
Free Throws Made |
Mikey Dixon 6 |
Josh Christopher 3 |
Steals |
Jovan Blacksher Jr. 4 |
Jalen Graham 1 |
Blocks |
N/A |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Arizona State
|
71 |
47.4 |
7-19 |
10-13 |
10 |
26 |
2 |
12 |
12 |
Grand Canyon
|
70 |
47.9 |
5-15 |
19-23 |
12 |
31 |
0 |
7 |
18 |