Arizona State wins 8th straight, holds off Creighton, 73-71

Published Dec. 12, 2022 11:52 p.m. ET

Associated Press

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Desmond Cambridge Jr. scored 19 points and his jumper with 1:42 left proved to be the difference as Arizona State watched a last-second Ryan Nembhard 3-pointer carom off the rim to preserve a 73-71 victory in the final game of the Jack Jones Hoopfest on Monday night.

The win gives the Sun Devils their eighth straight victory and 10th win in 11 games. Creighton, which started the season with six straight wins, now has lost five straight.

Trey Alexander's 3-pointer with 14:02 left gave Creighton its first lead since Arizona State tied the game at 5-5 four minutes in and he tacked on two free throws when ASU coach Bobby Hurley was whistled for a technical foul. The Bluejays built the lead to 47-38 with a 16-0 run while the Sun Devils did not score for more than four minutes.

Cambridge snapped the offensive drought with a jumper, but Arthur Kaluma hit a 3-pointer to push the Creighton lead to 10, 50-40. Cambridge hit back-to-back 3s to spark a comeback. Warren Washington scored at the basket to tie the game at 65-65 and Devan Cambridge dunked with 3:18 left to put ASU back on top for good.

Desmond Cambridge Jr. hit 5 of 7 from distance, three of them in the second half. DJ Horne contributed 12 points and Austin Nunez added 10 points off the bench.

Baylor Scheierman finished with 18 points and eight rebounds for Creighton. Fredrick King scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, Kaluma had 15 points and seven boards and Trey Alexander chipped in 12 points.

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