After putting together one of the best first half of the season, the Ducks had the opportunity to take the first conference road trip of the season.
Oregon (11-7, 2-3 Pac-12) was looking to win 10 straight against Arizona State (13-5, 4-2 Pac-12), but couldn’t match the intensity late in the game as the Sun Devils went on a 19-0 run in the last seven minutes to seal the game.
Payton Pritchard broke out of his scoring slump, leading all scorers with 20 points, six rebounds and four assists. Louis King added 16 points.
The first half was one of the most complete for both teams all season. It featured eight lead changes and five ties. Arizona State shot 56 percent, including 6-of-14 on 3-pointers. Oregon had 16 points on turnovers while holding the Sun Devils had 10.
The half was capped by a 3-pointer from Pritchard, who raced up to court to bank in the shot at the buzzer and tie the game at 39. Kenny Wooten picked up two quick fouls within seven minutes and sat for the rest of the half.
Both teams settled down midway through the second half, with neither scoring for nearly three minutes. However, ASU did draw a lot of fouls, getting in the bonus with nine minutes left. Then the Sun Devils hit back-to-back 3s with eight minutes left to take a 56-54 lead.
The first time the game went over a four-point margin was with six minutes remaining in the game, fueled by 10-0 ASU run. Then the floodgates opened, and the Sun Devils exploded on a 19-0 run over five minutes to take a 16 point lead.
Remy Martin and Zylan Cheatham were particularly effective during this stretch. Martin put up 11 points and eight assists, and consistently collapsed Oregon’s defense and found open shooters. Cheatham was a force with 17 points and nine rebounds, including a violent dunk over Wooten, which will likely be featured on SportsCenter’s top-10 plays of the night.
The Ducks will return home for a two game homestand against the Washington schools, starting on Jan. 24 against the University of Washington.
Follow August Howell on Twitter @howell_august
