It’s hard to believe Jayden Quaintance is only 17.
Arizona State’s 5-star freshman forward is mature beyond his years — and that maturity was on full display Tuesday night in Morgantown, West Virginia.
Quaintance scored 15 points (7-of-11 shooting), grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked 3 shots to lead Arizona State to a stunning 65-57 upset of No. 23 West Virginia. He now holds the ASU freshman record for blocks in a season — with 13 games to play — and is second in the nation in blocks per game.
The win snapped a four-game losing streak for the Sun Devils, who were playing without freshman shooting guard Joson Sanon for the fifth time in the last seven games. Sanon, who is averaging 12.8 points, has a high ankle sprain and is considered week-to-week.
Leading 55-51 with just over 2 minutes to play, Quaintance scored four consecutive points to give Arizona state a lead it would never relinquish.
Arizona State snaps a four-game losing streak with its first Quad 1 win of the season at No. 23 West Virginia.
Jayden Quaintance: 15 pts, 12 reb, 3 blocks, 7-of-11 FG (63.6%).
Next up? No. 3 Iowa State on Saturday in Tempe…@DevilsDigest
— Justin LaCertosa (@LaCertosaSports) January 22, 2025
Basheer Jihad had 17 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals for the Sun Devils, and BJ Freeman battled through a knee bruise to rack up 14 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists. Senior guard Adam Miller added 10 points.
Javon Small led West Virginia with 14 points, but he went 0-of-8 from the 3-point line. Small was coming off a 27-point performance in West Virginia’s upset of Iowa State on Saturday. Arizona State’s suffocating defense held the Mountaineers to just 31% shooting, including 4-of-29 from the 3-point line. The Sun Devils also dominated the boards, outrebounding West Virginia 46-28,
Quaintance came into the game averaging 10.1 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.2 blocks. At 6-foot-9 with a 7-foot-3 wingspan, he’s one of the most intriguing NBA prospects in college basketball. But because he won’t turn 18 until July he’s not eligible to enter the NBA draft until 2026.
Quaintance and Arizona State (11-7, 2-5) now return to Tempe from their two-game road trip with a chance to climb even higher in the NCAA NET Rankings. The win over West Virginia was ASU’s second Quad 1 win of the season, which will bump them up the rankings. On Saturday they host Iowa State, who is currently ranked No. 6 in the NET. A win over the Cyclones would put the Sun Devils right back into the NCAA tournament picture.
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