(Tempe, AZ) Arizona State Men’s Basketball cruised to a 73-48 victory in their return to Desert Financial Arena on Tuesday evening.
In their first home game in 22 days, the Sun Devils (8-2) gave the fans a treat, dominating their in-state foe. Head Coach Bobby Hurley‘s bench continues to shine, outscoring the Lumberjacks (4-5) 33-3 in the category. ASU shut down their opponent after halftime, holding them to just a 25.9% mark from the field over the final 20 minutes.
Freshman center Massamba Diop had his best offensive game as a Sun Devil, impressing with his touch and finishing ability around the rim. He finished with a career-high 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting while adding six rebounds and three assists in 24 minutes. He was not alone in causing NAU problems, as the entire frontline feasted on the undersized visitors. Redshirt sophomore forward Santiago Trouet delivered another productive effort, contributing 12 points and eight rebounds. Graduate student forward Allen Mukeba came off the bench to score 10 points and grab six boards. The Sun Devils outscored the Lumberjacks 40-22 in the paint.
Despite an atypical scoring night for senior guard Moe Odum, he still managed to find ways to impact the game. He had five assists, three rebounds, and a steal to end +20 in the box score. Senior guard Anthony “Pig” Johnson‘s presence was felt in several aspects of the game, as he came through with nine points, four rebounds, three assists, and a steal. Redshirt sophomore Marcus Adams Jr. continued his emergence since returning from Hawai’i with an eight-point, four-rebound output off the bench.
Arizona State has now won eight of their first ten games for the fifth time in the Bobby Hurleyera. They will return to familiar territory to take on a familiar face on Saturday when they face Santa Clara in Las Vegas on Dec. 13 at 5 p.m MST. Tickets for the game at Lee’s Family Forum are on sale now. Outside of Arizona (109 wins) and California (16 wins), Nevada (13 wins) is the state that Hurley has the most wins in as the head coach.
8-2 start
The Sun Devils have started 8-2 or better for the second consecutive season. It is their fifth 8-2 start or better in the Bobby Hurley era. Four of their wins to start off 2025-26 have come away from home (3 neutral, 1 road). The 8-2 start comes against the nation’s 43rd-strongest schedule according to ESPN, who has ASU slotted at 30 in their latest Strength of Record metric with two Quad 1 wins credited (Texas, Oklahoma).
Bench boost
Arizona State’s bench continues their dominant stretch, delivering arguably their best game of the season in the win over NAU. After a 33-3 edge in bench points tonight, the Sun Devils now hold a 282-191 (+91) advantage in bench points this season. The +30 margin in the category is a new season high. They have outscored their opponent off the bench in eight of ten games (all eight wins).
Mukeba led the way with his third game in double figures this season, scoring 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting and adding six rebounds in 20 minutes. Adams Jr. was effective for a second straight contest, rewarding Coach Hurley’s trust with eight points and four rebounds in 21 minutes. Johnson (9 points) and Meeusen (5 points) each had an impact defensively, with five of the team’s six steals coming from the bench unit.
Chopping down the Lumberjacks
ASU held NAU to their lowest score all season (48), with the previous low coming in their matchup with Arizona (49). This was the Lumberjacks’ lowest 3PT% of the season (19.2%) and their second-lowest FG% (33.3%).
ASU completely neutralized the combined backcourt threat of Ryan Ableman and Arne Osjonik for NAU, holding them to a combined 12 points. They finished 4-of-18 (22.2%) from the field and a mere 2-of-11 (18%) from the three. Coming into the night, they averaged a combined 22.4 points per game and shot over 40%.
Cleaning the glass
The Sun Devils controlled the backboards against the Lumberjacks, a key to the victory. ASU had a 41-25 on Tuesday night and allowed only two second-chance points. The 16-board difference was the largest margin of the season for ASU and the biggest deficit for NAU as well. The Sun Devils also held the Lumberjacks to a season-low 25 rebounds, which is also the fewest an ASU opponent has had in a game this season.
Photo – Sun Devil Athletics
Notables
The Sun Devils were too much for the Lumberjacks in the paint, outscoring NAU 40-22 inside.
NAU shot just 33% from the field, making this the second game in a row the Sun Devils have held their opponent to a below 35 shooting percentage.
The Sun Devils had the advantage in rebounds (41-25) and assists (15-8).
While both teams turned the ball over 13 times each, ASU outscored NAU 23-12 off turnovers.
The Sun Devils pulled away in the second half, outscoring the Lumberjacks 19-2 over a 7:30 span, taking a five-point lead up to 22.
ASU dominated off the bench with 33 points from the second unit, contrasting with NAU’s mere three.
Arizona State improves to 87-37 (70.2%) in non-conference games under Bobby Hurley. They have won at least eight non-conference games in seven of his 11 seasons.
ASU is 52-6 (.896) when it shoots 50 percent from the field under Bobby Hurley. They are now 2-0 when it has happened this season, with wins over Washington State and NAU.
Odom finished with five assists and now has 5+ assists in eight of ten games this season.
After finishing with a career-high five steals in the win over Oklahoma, Bryce Ford backed that up with a career-best two blocks in the win over NAU.
The 10 personal fouls committed by the Sun Devils is the lowest allowed this season. The previous low was 14 personals committed in the season opener vs Southern Utah.
In three of four home wins, ASU has led for at least 37 minutes in the game (Utah Tech, Southern Utah, NAU).
Andrija Grbovic contributed a career-best six rebounds, one of four Sun Devils with six or more (Mukeba, Diop, Trouet).
Photo – Sun Devil Athletics
First half
Trouet opened the Tuesday night showdown with a bucket inside on the first possession of the game, and was quickly followed by a three from Odum.
The Sun Devils led by nine after the first five minutes of action, getting Diop open looks in the paint, but the Lumberjacks didn’t flinch, going on a 12-2 run to retake the lead. After back-and-forth scoring at the midway point in the half, ASU went on an 11-2 run of its own to make it 27-16.
Diop was a force in the paint, contributing 12 of the Sun Devils’ 22 points in the lane on 6-7 shooting. Meussen contributed five of the thirteen bench points, an advantage over NAU’s three bench points.
The Sun Devils were an even 50% in the field above NAU’s 41.7%, to finish the first half while also leading for just under 19 minutes in the contest. ASU led 35-26 heading into halftime.
Photo – Sun Devil Athletics
Second half
ASU took a second to find its rhythm early in the second half, but two Diop free throws and a triple from Anthony Johnson helped push the lead to double digits. Johnson didn’t stop there with a three-point play on the driving layup. A one-handed dunk from Mukeba off an NAU turnover extended the lead to 48-30, forcing a Lumberjacks timeout.
After surrendering the first four points of the second half, the Sun Devils’ pesky defense locked in, holding the Lumberjacks off the board for almost five minutes. Andrija Grbovic contributed greatly with six defensive rebounds, a career high for the Junior forward.
The Sun Devils helped establish a dominant advantage with free throws from Best, Adams Jr, and Mukeba, to lead by 20. Adams Jr. held his presence on the paint with a three-point jumper, his second three of the night. Diop was all over the paint scoring back-to-back for ASU with a tip-in layup and dunk, setting his season high of 19 points tonight and extending the lead to 67-41. Free throws from Trouet, Ford, and Odum closed out the win for ASU, 73-48.
Photo – Sun Devil Athletics
Up next
Sun Devil Men’s Basketball heads to Las Vegas to participate in the Jack Jones Hoops Classic for the second consecutive year. Arizona State will take on Santa Clara on Dec. 13 at 5 p.m. MST in the third of a four-game session at Lee’s Family Forum.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Connor Smith
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