TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Koa Peat scored 21 points, fellow freshman Brayden Burries added 17 and No. 1 Arizona beat rival Arizona State 87-74 on Saturday, setting a school record with 22 straight wins to start the season.
Arizona (22-0, 9-0 Big 12) is one of just two unbeaten teams in the nation, along with Miami (Ohio). The Wildcats’ winning streak also tied the Big 12 record to start a season, originally set by Kansas in 1996-97.
The Wildcats — who shot 60% in the second half — scored the first six points after the break to take a 44-38 lead and never trailed again. Burries found Peat on a pinpoint full-court pass that led to a dunk for a 56-47 lead with 13:10 left.
The gritty Sun Devils cut into the deficit several times, but could never quite generate enough offense to keep pace. Noah Meeusen scored 16 points while Maurice Odum added 15.
Arizona State (11-11, 2-7) has dropped nine of its last 11 games.
Ivan Kharchenkov and Peat made threes on back-to-back possessions to push Arizona up 71-60, leading to a relatively comfortable final few minutes. Motiejus Krivas fought through foul trouble to finish with 15 points. Tobe Awaka had 13 rebounds.
The Sun Devils fell to 2-10 all-time against the nation’s No. 1 team. They last beat the top-ranked team when they knocked off Kansas on Dec. 22, 2018.
Arizona State led for much of the first few minutes but the Wildcats used a 13-2 run to take a 25-18 lead with 7:00 left in the first half. Peat made a layup to cap the run, finishing through contact that left him bloodied around his left eye.
The Sun Devils recovered, tying the game at 38 just before halftime when Meeusen made a 3-pointer with two seconds remaining.
Up next
Arizona: Hosts Oklahoma State on Feb. 7.
Arizona State: At Utah on Wednesday.
___
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball