Odum too much, ASU rallies again, reaches Maui Invitational title game

The Arizona State Sun Devils rallied to defeat the Washington State Cougars in a Maui Invitational semifinal matchup Tuesday, Nov. 25, in Lahaina, winning 98-94.

The Sun Devils, perhaps fortunate to have withstood the Cougars' hot shooting in the first 20 minutes, trailed by only six, 48-42 at halftime.

A layup by the Cougars' Eemeli Yalaho put ASU in a double-digit hole for the second straight night, but — for the second straight night — the Sun Devils put together a defense-fueled comeback to tie the game at 65 on a layup by Noah Meeusen.

Moe Odum took over from there, scoring nine points during a run capped by his 3-pointer to put ASU up 87-81.

Odum's big effort — 19 points in the second half — helped offset an impressive performance from Washington State freshman Ace Glass.

Glass, who had 24 of WSU's 46 second-half points, finished with 40 on only 14 field goal attempts. His late 3 closed the gap to 95-92, but ASU hit its free throws in the final seconds to secure the victory.

Odum finished with 24 points and five assists, Bryce Ford contributed 18, Massamba Diop had 12 points and Anthony "Pig" Johnson scored 13.

Washington State hit 17 of 28 (61%) from the field in the first half, including 10 of 15 from 3-point range. Glass, who moved into the starting lineup after scoring 17 second-half points Nov. 24 in a comeback win over Chaminade, put up 16 first-half points, hitting 4 of 5 from long range.

ASU was led in first-half scoring by Diop, who had 10 points.

Odum, who scored 36, including the game-winner against Texas one night earlier, had seven points at the break.

The Sun Devils move on to the Maui Invitational championship game against USC with a tip time of 12:30 p.m. MST (2:30 ET) on ESPN.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: ASU basketball rallies again, will play for Maui Invitational title