(Tempe, AZ) Sun Devil Men’s Basketball never trailed in a wire-to-wire 78-61 victory over Sam Houston State Wednesday night at Desert Financial Arena.
Defense turned into offense for Arizona State (4-2) as the 28 fast-break points and 18 points off turnovers were key factors in the 17-point victory over the Bearkats. ASU held the opposition to their lowest point total of the season, limiting Sam Houston to just 35.3% shooting from the field while forcing 15+ turnovers for the fourth time in six games.
The Sun Devils enjoyed their third game this season with four players in double-figures, guided by Jose Perez’s 24 points on an efficient 9-for-13 from the field. He added eight rebounds, three assists, and a block while impacting the game in many ways. Jamiya Neal had 14 points, added eight rebounds and tacked on a pair of assists. Frankie Collins and Alonzo Gaffney had 12 points apiece as part of an extremely balanced effort in the victory.
In the win, the Sun Devils managed to shoot 33-of-64 (51.6%) from the field, marking back-to-back games that they shot above 50%. The physicality of Arizona State was on display and it resulted in 50 points in the paint and 42 rebounds on the night.
KEY MOMENTS:
Jose Perez scored six straight points for the Sun Devils in a 1:42 span as the Sun Devils jumped out to a 10-2 lead.
A Jamiya Neal three kick-started a 13-2 run for the Sun Devils in 3:40 which gave the Sun Devils a 17-point lead in the first half.
The Sun Devils held Sam Houston to 0 points in the first 4:43 of the second half, which kept ASU in control down the stretch.
An 8-0 run from 14:50 to 10:37 was orchestrated by a pair of three’s from Watson and Lands, and a Selebangue layup giving the Sun Devils a 23-point lead and putting the game away for good.
FIRST HALF:
Alonzo Gaffney knocked down a pair of baskets to give ASU an early 4-0 lead before Sam Houston could cut the lead in half, 4-2 with 17:34 remaining in the half.
Jose Perez then scored three straight buckets to give the Sun Devils an 10-2 advantage over the Bearkats prior to the under-16 minute media timeout.
Frankie Collins proceeded with his first steal of the game en-route to his first basket of the contest, 12-4 Sun Devils at the 13:35 mark, shortly after a Bearkat bucket, Collins scarfed up his second steal then assisting Braelon Green making it 14-6 at the 11:56 mark. The junior then was able to get his third steal which led to a Jamiya neal basket, leading 16-6.
The Bearkats made two quick baskets, but Perez drained the first Sun Devil three, leading 19-10 halfway through the opening period. ASU would then score three straight baskets on the fast-break, extending their lead to 24-10.
Collins drained his first basket from beyond the arc followed by a Gaffney layup to give the Sun Devils a 29-12 lead with 5:23 remaining. The Bearkats would respond with a 7-0 span to force a Bobby Hurley timeout with 4:09 in the first half leading by 10.
Coming out of the timeout, Perez drained a corner jumper to stop the Bearkats momentum leading 31-19. After trading baskets the West Virginia transfer drained his fifth bucket of the game, 36-23.
Ending the half, Akil Watson swiped the sixth steal for the Sun Devils leading to a Perez layup, giving ASU a 38-25 lead heading into halftime.
SECOND HALF:
Coming out of halftime, Neal drove the lane for a layup putting the Sun Devils ahead 40-25. Neal added a pair of free throws to extend the lead to 17 before the Bearkats called their second timeout at the 18:10 mark.
ASU managed to hold Sam Houston scoreless for the first 3:41 of the half but after the quick layup, Perez found Gaffney in the fast break for an alley oop to wake up the Sun Devil faithful, leading 46-27 with 15:17 left.
After two swift buckets by Sam Houston, Watson knocked down a three from the right wing which started an 8-0 run for ASU, giving the Sun Devils 54-31 lead, the largest of the night.
Coming out of the under-12 timeout, back-to-back dunks by Neal and Gaffney kept the lead above 20 points at the nine-minute mark of regulation.
Playing with pace, Neal added four points to his stat sheet in a 24 second span to give the Sun Devils a 67-43 lead at the 8:20 mark.
Both teams traded baskets the next five minutes with Collins emphatically slamming home a dunk which put ASU ahead 74-52 with 3:01 remaining in the game.
UP NEXT:
Sun Devil Men’s Basketball will stay at Desert Financial Arena and look to avenge last season’s loss against San Francisco. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m. MST and can be seen on Pac-12 Networks and can be heard on the radio waves on ESPN 620 AM with Tim Healey and Kyle Dodd on the call. Tickets for Sun Devil Men’s Basketball 2023-24 non-conference games are on sale now. Visit the following link for more information. Conference games are available to purchase. Ticket packages start at just $90 and the home schedule features match-ups against top ranked USC, UCLA and Arizona.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Zach Wargo
Click on Logo
