For much of the second half, it seemed like Bobby Hurley’s Arizona State Sun Devils (9-4) were closing in on their 10th win of the season in the team’s final non-conference tilt. 

Yet the Oregon State Beavers (7-6) said “not so fast.”

OSU trailed by as many as 11 points but left Desert Financial Arena with a 78-75 win in the Sunday, Dec. 21, afternoon contest. Junior guard Josiah Lake II led the way for the Beavers with a career-high 23 points, and senior forward Jorge Diaz Graham came alive late to help spark the comeback in this matchup of former Pac-12 foes.

ASU got off to a slow start, as OSU quickly went up 16-6 in the first six minutes of the game, with Lake scoring nine of the Beavers’ points during that stretch. The Sun Devils were able to dig out of that early hole and come back to take a 40-38 lead at the break despite not making a single 3-pointer in the first half. 

In the second half, ASU built on that momentum and found itself with a 68-57 lead in the final eight minutes before a technical foul was called on senior guard Anthony “Pig” Johnson. The ensuing OSU free throws were the first two points of a 12-2 Beavers run, which made it a one-point game. 

The Sun Devils held onto the lead until the 1:11 mark of the second half, when junior forward Isiah Sy connected on a 3-pointer, giving the Beavers a 76-75 lead which they never relinquished.

Lake finished with a career-high 23 points to go along with five rebounds and nine assists.

Lake began his career as a walk-on at his father’s college after helping Tualatin High School win back-to-back Oregon state championships. In his junior year, Lake has emerged as the go-to player for OSU.

Aside from Lake, Diaz Graham, a transfer from Pittsburgh, finished with nine points and a career-high nine rebounds after not even attempting a field goal in the first half.

Junior center Noah Amenhauser, a Goodyear native, finished with 10 points in his return to the Valley.

Conversely, the Sun Devils finished with three players in double figures, one of whom was senior guard Maurice Odom, leading the way with 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

Freshman center Massamba Diop had 16 points but struggled on the glass, only securing three rebounds, which is the second-lowest total of his career.

Sophomore forward Santiago Trouet, a transfer from San Diego, matched a season-high in points with 13.

Sunday marked a battle between two former Pac-12 rivals, with history dating back 46 years before last season's realignment, and OSU’s first win in Tempe since 2007, snapping ASU's 15-game winning streak in the series on its home floor.

The Pac-12 nostalgia is nothing new for the Sun Devils, as they’ve duled four former conference rivals in non-conference play. 

Now, ASU turns the page towards the Big 12 schedule, which will be far from easy. 

The Sun Devils play three top 10 teams on the road in their first five conference games of the season.

After winning 7 of 8, ASU has dropped consecutive games; first, on the road against UCLA during the week and now a head-scratching home loss against the Beavers.