Devils in Detail
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ASU Men’s Basketball: Lake provides spark for depleted frontcourt

By Trevor Booth

TEMPE, AZ - JANUARY 03: Head coach Bobby Hurley of the Arizona State Sun Devils watches the action during the first half of the college basketball game at Wells Fargo Arena on January 3, 2016 in Tempe, Arizona. The Arizona Wildcats beat the Arizona State Sun Devils 94-82. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
TEMPE, AZ - JANUARY 03: Head coach Bobby Hurley of the Arizona State Sun Devils watches the action during the first half of the college basketball game at Wells Fargo Arena on January 3, 2016 in Tempe, Arizona. The Arizona Wildcats beat the Arizona State Sun Devils 94-82. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) /
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With both Kimani Lawrence and Romello White inactive in the home opener, De’Quon Lake began his Sun Devil career with a dominant night on both ends of the floor.

Going into the 2017-18 season, the one spot that head coach Bobby Hurley was most excited for was his added depth in the frontcourt. After Obinna Olekka carried the brunt of the load in the middle of the floor last season, it seemed like ASU’s lineup wouldn’t be as dependent on just one big man.

Ironically, it was best that they did just that tonight.

In his first game in a Sun Devil uniform, junior transfer De’Quon Lake came on to the scene with a dominant game on both ends of the floor, finishing around the rim with thunderous dunks and holding a impenetrable wall in the paint with a stout presence on the defensive side of the floor.

For Lake, being a defensive force is something he’s wants to bring nightly.

“It’s been the expectation from the beginning,” he said. “I just have to keep improving on that.”

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From the beginning of the game, it was clear that Idaho State was keying in the guards of Arizona State, as they constantly cut off driving lanes that both Tra Holder and Shannon Evans looked to exploit. The Bengals got out to an early 8-4 advantage, making the Sun Devils uncharacteristically hesitant on offense and frustrated on defense.

After a back-and-forth half that saw a 20-6 ASU run answered by a 15-6 run by Idaho State, the Sun Devils needed a reliable spark that they could consistently go to.

Enter De’Quon Lake.

With the Sun Devils only leading by one with 5:50 to go in the first half, they were suddenly able to find their big man at will, as he used his terrific hands to catch tight bounce passes delivered by Tra Holder and Shannon Evans.

Lake recorded two booming jams over the course of a 16-2 ASU run over the final 4:41 of the half, including a posterizing finish over Idaho State’s Geno Luzcando to give the Sun Devils a commanding 18-point advantage at the half.

Although this was first time Lake took the court in Tempe, Hurley echoed the fact that he’d been expecting this performance from his star forward all week.

“His [Lake’s] motor and his presence around the rim [was great],” Hurley noted after the game. “He had a tremendous week of practice, the best that I’ve seen from him.”

Going forward, it’s unknown whether or not Lawrence or White will be back to help Lake next week against a stout defense in San Diego State and a cross-town rival in Northern Arizona. Without more depth in the front court, it will be certainly more difficult for him to duplicate his performance tonight.

For now, we’ve realized how important De’Quon will be in helping the Sun Devils find consistent success throughout the season.

“He was amazing tonight,” Evans acknowledged. “He impacted the game tremendously, and we need him to keep that going if we’re going to be a good team.”

Lake finished with 24 points on 8-of-10 shooting to go along with eight rebounds and three blocks on the night.

Next: ASU Men's Basketball: Starters dominate Idaho State in season opener

Lake and the Devils will look to continue their strong performances as they move on to take the San Diego State Aztecs Tuesday night. The game will tip-off at 7 p.m MT and the game can be viewed on Pac-12 Network.

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