The Arizona St. Sun Devils snapped a four-game losing streak on Saturday with a 56-52 win over the USC Trojans. Jordan Bachynski led the way with 19 points and nine rebounds, and Chris Colvin converted a big basket-and-one play with under 20 seconds left to secure the win.
The Sun Devils were able to break their recent pattern of poor offensive first halves, scoring 31 points in the first 20 minutes to claim a 31-26 advantage. The Trojans, however, would not quit and kept things close throughout the second half. Guard Byron Wesley led the way for USC with 22 points and seven assists.
The Trojans took a 47-45 lead on a Wesley jumper with 11:16 left, but it was the Sun Devils who held on to a 53-52 lead with 5:41 left in the game. Neither team could buy a bucket for most of the rest of the way, and ASU still had its one-point lead intact with 28 seconds left.
With the shot clock running down, Colvin drove into the lane and connected on an improbable shot near the rim while absorbing contact from USC's James Blasczyk. The basket counted, and Colvin made the free throw as well to give ASU a 56-52 lead. The Trojans failed to score with the basketball with time running out, and ASU recorded its second win over the Trojans this year.
Along with Bachynski and Colvin (who had eight points), Lockett was the other big contributor on this night with 11 points. The trio accounted for all but 18 of ASU's points and ultimately deserve the most credit for this win. The Sun Devils now have five conference wins this season heading into the March 4th regular season finale against the Arizona Wildcats.