TUCSON, Ariz. -- Arizona forward Lauri Markkanen hit 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions in the first half, and coach Sean Miller had a message for his team.

"The crowd got crazy," said guard Kadeem Allen, "and Coach said keep giving it to him. So we kept looking for him and he kept knocking them down."

Markkanen, who ended up making a third 3-pointer in a row, knocked in a career-high 30 points to help the 16th-ranked Wildcats withstand a barrage of 3-pointers in the second half as they beat Arizona State 91-75 victory in a Pac-12 game Thursday night.

Markkanen, a 7-foot freshman whose previous scoring high was 26, made 12 of 18 shots and grabbed eight rebounds -- five on the offensive end. He was 4 of 7 from 3-point range.

Allen filled the boxscore with 18 points, eight assists, four rebounds and four steals. Center Dusan Ristic scored 16 on 6 of 9 shooting. He scored seven points in Arizona's 12-0 run to open the game, setting the tone for the 10th consecutive victory for the Wildcats (16-2, 5-0 Pac-12).

Arizona State (9-9, 2-3) typically lives off the 3-point shot, but missed its first 10 attempts, a drought that extended into early in the second half. The Sun Devils then got hot, hitting their next four attempts and making 10 of 18 3-pointers in the half. They whittled a 20-point halftime deficit to 68-56 with 8:37 left on a 3-pointer by guard Tra Holder.

"We didn't start well on offense and that was the theme throughout the first half for us," said ASU coach Bobby Hurley.

"I tried to flip it in the huddle, telling my guys you have to fight the whole game and we are going to climb back into it. And we did, but we never got a margin where we could put significant pressure on Arizona.

"But I do appreciate and respect how our team competed."

ASU forward Obinna Oleka scored 22 points and pulled down nine rebounds. Holder had 20 points; guard Torian Graham had 18.

After the Sun Devils closed within 68-56, Markkanen's follow basket pushed the lead to 14, and Arizona's lead never dipped below that level, despite a 50-point second half for ASU that will give Miller something to preach about in practice.

Markkanen scored 22 points in 22 minutes in Arizona's previous game against Colorado. He had 30 in 30 minutes against Arizona State.

"I'm thinking about playing him 40 minutes in the next game, see if he can get 40," Miller said. "He was spectacular, above and beyond a freshman. He's an incredible offensive player who really is improving on defense."

Markkanen was selected Wednesday to the 25-player midseason watch list for the Wooden Award, given to the nation's top player.

"Markkanen is a future NBA player," Holder said. "There's not much you can do about his size."

Arizona asserted its size advantage as big men Markkanen, Ristic and Chance Comanche combined to go 22 of 31 from the field.

The Wildcats hit 10 consecutive shot attempts at one point in the first half, going up by as many as 24 points before the break.

NOTES: Arizona G Allonzo Trier was still in street clothes on the bench. He has not played this season because of an unspecified eligibility issue. ... Arizona coach Sean Miller is 3-0 against second-year ASU coach Bobby Hurley. ... Hurley was given a technical foul with 13:12 left for yelling at an official. ... Both teams are off until next Thursday when the travel partners play at the L.A. schools. Arizona starts at USC, with ASU taking on UCLA. ... Arizona grabbed the first 10 rebounds of the game.