The Arizona State Sun Devils pulled off a stunning upset on Saturday night as they defeated their in-state rival, the No. 7 Arizona Wildcats, 89-88 on a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Desmond Cambridge Jr.
The Sun Devils, who were double-digit underdogs headed into the game, had trailed for much of the second half before Cambridge’s heroics. The Wildcats, who had a one-point lead at halftime, were up 88-86 with 2.9 seconds remaining when Oumar Ballo made one of two free throws.
That’s when Cambridge got the inbounds pass and took off running. He launched a shot from beyond half-court that swished through the net as time expired. It was Cambridge’s first and only three-pointer of the day, but it was enough to give Arizona State a much-needed victory and to potentially alter the team’s NCAA tournament chances.
The win snapped a five-game losing streak to Arizona and improved Arizona State to 20-9 overall and 11-7 in Pac-12 play. The Sun Devils have won four of their last five, but still have work to do to get into the NCAA tournament.
For Arizona, the loss will likely doom the team’s chances of capturing the regular season Pac-12 title. If UCLA wins any of its final three regular season games, the Bruins will win the league.
Cambridge’s buzzer-beating three is sure to be remembered by Arizona State fans for years to come. The dramatic shot may also be looked at as the moment that changed the trajectory of ASU’s season.
