TUCSON, Ariz. — Desmond Cambridge Jr. hit a 60-foot shot at the buzzer and Arizona State rallied from a 10-point deficit to beat No. 7 Arizona 89-88 on Saturday.
The Wildcats (24-5, 13-5 Pac-12) built a 10-point lead midway through the second half before going more than six minutes without a field goal as Arizona State pulled ahead by one.
The Sun Devils (20-9, 11-7) went up 86-85 on Warren Washington‘s layup with a minute left, but Pelle Larsson put Arizona back up on a layup with 29 seconds left.
Arizona State’s DJ Horne missed a jumper with four seconds remaining, and the Sun Devils had a final shot after Oumar Ballo hit 1 of 2 free throws.
Catching the ball with 2.4 seconds left, Cambridge left the fans at McKale Center stunned, launching a shot from beyond half court that sent his teammates charging onto the floor in celebration.
Cambridge finished with 21 points to give the Sun Devils a big boost in their bid to make the NCAA tournament.
Cedric Henderson Jr. led Arizona with 19 points, and Azuolas Tubelis added 17.
In the teams’ first meeting, Arizona State went on a big run to open the second half, but Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd didn’t call a timeout, letting his team play through the adversity. The Wildcats responded with a run of their own for a 69-60 win on a night when neither team shot better than 37%.
The rematch was all about the offense.
The Sun Devils hit as many 3-pointers in the first eight minutes as they did the entire first game and shot 20-of-34 from the floor to lead 46-45.
The Wildcats hit 16 of 27 shots, including Henderson’s buzzer-beating 3 to end the half, but went 7-of-14 on free throws.
The good shooting trailed off only slightly to start the second half.
Arizona went on a short run to build a six-point lead and the Sun Devils started taking questionable shots, allowing the Wildcats to stretch it to 78-68.
Even after turning up the defensive pressure to get back in it, Arizona State appeared to be down and out — until Cambridge came to the rescue.
BIG PICTURE
Arizona State: The Sun Devils needed some kind of boost for their NCAA tournament chances. One of the most stunning finishes in the history of the rivalry certainly should help.
Arizona: The Wildcats were in control before going cold from the field at the wrong time. Their seniors will never forget how their final home game ended after Cambridge’s stunner.
UP NEXT
Arizona State: Plays at No. 4 UCLA on Thursday.
Arizona: Plays at Southern California on Thursday.