USC beats Arizona St. 73-64 for 1st desert sweep since ’85

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Freshman Evan Mobley had 10 points and a career-best 13 rebounds and Southern California beat Arizona State 73-64 on Saturday.

The 7-foot Mobley, a likely top-5 pick in the 2021 NBA draft, was 5-of-7 shooting and had a career-high six blocks. Tahj Eaddy scored 12 of his 16 points in the second half and grabbed nine rebounds and Isaiah Mobley — Evan’s older brother — added 13 points and 10 rebounds for USC (8-2, 3-1 Pac-12).

The Trojans, who beat Arizona 87-73 on Thursday, swept their road trip through the desert for the first time since the 1984-85 season.

Arizona State (4-5, 1-2) was without guards Remy Martin and Jaelen House as well as forwards Jalen Graham and Taeshon Cherry for the second consecutive game, for various reasons. Martin is in coronavirus protocol after missing the UCLA game to attend his grandfather’s funeral.

Senior Holland Woods scored 12 of his season-high 18 points in the final two minutes of the first half as the Sun Devils trimmed at 16-point deficit to 36-32. His steal and layup gave Arizona State a 58-56 lead with 7:03 to play. The Trojans answered with a 15-3 run as ASU missed six consecutive shots and committed three turnovers over the next six-plus minutes.

Woods starred at Apollo High School in nearby Glendale, Arizona, and then earned all-Big Sky Conference honors of some sort in each of his three seasons at Portland State before he transferred to ASU. He is the Vikings’ career leader in assists (521) and steals (165) and ranks fifth in points (1,387).