Dangerous in the paint. Dangerous on the perimeter. ASU men’s basketball blew past the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks 97-62 and improving their record 3-0.
The Sun Devils’ versatility proved too much for the Lumberjacks, who were unable to break through the tenacity of ASU’s defense. With 12 steals and forcing 24 turnovers, the Sun Devils held the Lumberjacks to only 27 points in the first half.
According to head coach Bobby Hurley, the Sun Devil defense has been key to starting games right off the jump.
Though the Sun Devils are continuing to challenge shots with their height in the post, the Sun Devils ability to draw charges is something they’d like to keep. Freshman guard Remy Martin held down this concept, drawing four charges against the Lumberjacks.
Moving forward, it seems ASU’s reliance on small ball basketball is but a thing of the past. With 42 points in the paint, it is clear that Sun Devil basketball’s attempt to transition into more traditional basketball is not only successful, but polished.
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Even after the losing freshman forward Kimani Lawrence to injury the Sun Devils look just fine low in the post with red-shirt freshman Romello White and junior De’quon Lake.
“Just having a post presence, teams respect that now,” senior guard Shannon Evans II said. “Now they have to look at ‘Mello, scout D. Lake, and Vitaliy and try to stop those guys… I don’t think anybody can stop all of it.”
After an impressive performance against San Diego State, White was once again a dominant presence both on defense and when it came to scoring in the paint, recording 25 points and 6 rebounds.
In addition to White’s dominance in the paint, Lake, who finished the night with 17 points and 12 rebounds, has the ability to get to offensive rebounds and turn them into points, something that will continue to be crucial for the Sun Devils on the inside.
“We are attacking the paint, we’re driving in there and we’re being physical,” Hurley said. “And hopefully we’ll get rewarded for that as we keep moving forward.”
However, small ball isn’t completely gone for the Sun Devils, led by senior guards Tra Holder, Shannon Evans II and Kodi Justice, the perimeter play is still very much alive. Evans II and Justice finished with a combined 34 points and going for a combined 8-15 from the three point line, including back-to-back-to back threes in the first from Justice.
“Kodi had a very strong first half rush, which was great to see offensively, knocking down the perimeter shot and making good plays out there,” Hurley said. “I consider him to be our best three point shooting threat.”
Junior guard Karl Harris did put some numbers up for the Lumberjacks, finishing with 15 points and going 3-of-5 from the three-point line. Alongside Harris, junior forward, Isaiah Thomas were the Sun Devils’ biggest challenge low in the post, finishing with 9 points and 9 rebounds.
Whether the Sun Devils can continue to incorporate a bigger line up and manage to keep their game high-scoring and unselfish with 24 assists, will be a big factor to how they can stand up against the bigger teams in the Pac-12.
Next: ASU Men’s Basketball: Sun Devils host NAU and UC Irvine in weekend slate
The Sun Devils will take on UC Irvine Sunday at noon MT at Wells Fargo Arena with the game televised on Pac-12 Arizona.