Arizona State defeats Saint Mary’s in the Acrisure Classic title game

Alston Mason hit two free throws with three seconds left to give Arizona State a 68-64 victory over previously unbeaten Saint Mary’s in the championship game of the Acrisure Classic in Palm Desert, Calif., on Friday night.

ASU (7-1) was pushed to the brink and edged New Mexico 85-82 in Thursday’s semifinal, and that game was just as dramatic as the contest featured eight ties and nine lead changes.

“It was a different style of play,” ASU coach Bobby Hurley said on the postgame television broadcast. “We are very versatile and can win in different ways. I think we showed that tonight.”

“It was a defensive game and we held on. We showed a lot of resilience tonight.”