Martin heats up late to push Arizona State past Cal 80-75

 Remy Martin scored 15 of his 22 points over the final 11 minutes, and Arizona State pulled away late for its fifth straight win, beating California 80-75 on Sunday.

Alonzo Verge Jr. also scored 22 points including seven free throws in the final 54 seconds for the Sun Devils (17-8, 8-4 Pac-12). Romello White added 10 points and 10 rebounds.

It’s Arizona State’s first five-game conference winning streak since 2008-09 when the Sun Devils were led by 2018 NBA MVP James Harden.

Matt Bradley scored 22 points for California before fouling out. Grant Anticevich added 18 points, and Paris Austin had 17 points, five assists and five rebounds for the Golden Bears (10-15, 4-8).

Martin, the Pac-12’s leading scorer, was mostly quiet through much of the game due to foul trouble then took over midway through the second half. He scored 12 of Arizona State’s 16 points during one stretch, then made a 3-pointer to put the Sun Devils ahead 71-63 with two minutes remaining.

California got within 78-75 following Kareem South’s three-point play with 14 seconds left before Verge made two free throws to seal it.

Both teams played long stretches without their leading scorers due to foul trouble. Bradley was whistled for two fouls in the game’s first 75 seconds while Martin sat out 5 ½ minutes after picking up his second midway through the half.

Anticevich kept the Bears close with 14 points before the half. That was his most in any game since scoring 16 against Stanford in the Pac-12 opener on Jan. 2.

BIG PICTURE

Arizona State: The Sun Devils are the hottest team in the Pac-12 and are positioning themselves for a possible NCAA berth as well. It’s also Arizona State’s first road sweep in the Pac-12 since 2010. The Sun Devils beat Stanford on Thursday. All good signs for Bobby Hurley’s team.

California: The Bears stayed close but couldn’t slow down Martin when it counted. Overall, California continues to make progress but they remain in the lower half of the Pac-12 standings.

UP NEXT

Arizona State: Host No. 17 Oregon on Thursday. The Ducks won when the two teams played in Eugene on Jan. 11.

California: Play at Washington State on Wednesday. The Bears beat the Cougars earlier this season at Haas Pavilion.