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SAN FRANCISCO - Khalil Shabazz scored 26 points and fast-starting San Francisco routed No. 25 Arizona State 97-60 on Dec. 21 to end the Sun Devils’ nine-game winning streak.
Arizona State (11-2) was off to its best start since 2017-18 and entered the AP Top 25 poll on Monday for the first time since Dec. 7, 2020.
The Dons (10-4) raced to a 24-2 lead, had a 27-point advantage at the half and a 47-point lead with about six minutes left. They shot 57% from the floor, hitting 15 3-pointers.
"They made shots early in the game and our defense was not there," Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley said. "We had a hard time making free throws and getting offense. They had a huge advantage, and we were chasing."
Shabazz made 8 of 16 shots and 5 of 11 from long range. Isaiah Hawthorne added 19 points, Tyrell Roberts had 14 points and Marcus Williams and 11.
DJ Horne and Duke Brennan scored 12 points apiece for Arizona State.
Roberts, Josh Kunen and Zane Meeks sparked the game’s opening surge with a 3-pointer apiece before Frankie Collins’ layup ended the Sun Devils’ drought. It was about seven minutes later before the Sun Devils hit another field goal on Horne’s layup that made it 28-7.
"We’re still giving up some offensive rebounds early in the game," Hurley said. "There were numerous breakdowns. I think we have to compete a little harder and I don’t think we were on that end of the floor."
Hawthorne scored 10 points and Shabazz had nine as the Dons built a 50-23 halftime lead on 18-of-35 shooting overall and 9 of 18 from long range.
Desmond Cambridge Jr. — averaging 11.5 points and 1.7 steals — sat out for Arizona State because of a non-COVID illness.
DEFENSE HAS ROUGH NIGHT
Arizona State entered as one of the best defensive teams in the country, ranked fifth in the nation holding opponents to just 35.1% shooting from the field, including six games keeping teams from scoring more than 60 points. The Dons hit 60 points after 16:34 on Shabazz’s 3-pointer.
CONSECUTIVE WINS OVER ASU
USF beat Arizona State 66-65 last December in Tempe. USF’s last home win over ASU was a 102-90 victory on Dec. 30, 1977. The Dons evened the series 6-6.
UP NEXT
Arizona State: Hosts fifth-ranked Arizona on New Year’s Eve.
San Francisco: Hosts Hartford on Thursday night.
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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25