ASU Basketball: Lawrence 3 sinks Mississippi State late

No. 15 Mississippi State overcame a 17-point deficit, but ASU basketball survived the Bulldogs 72-67 in Las Vegas to improve to 4-0.

It was in Las Vegas a season ago that Arizona State began its surge to the epicenter of college basketball, knocking off eventual No.1 NCAA Tournament seed and then-No. 15 Xavier 102-86 to win the Continental Tire Invitational.

But forward Kimani Lawrence could only celebrate from the sideline, mid-recovery from a foot injury that derailed his first year at ASU.

Back in Sin City with another chance to unseat a ranked team, the sophomore was prepared for his moment and seized the opportunity.

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Lawrence caught a pass from guard Remy Martin in the right corner, gathered and connected from 3-point range to break a 65-all deadlock inside the final minute of Monday’s game.

The 6-foot-7 wing finished with a game-high 22 points, including his late-game statement and an exclamation point in the form of a dunk with seconds remaining to seal the victory.

“It was the same play we ran a couple games ago back when we was at home [against Fullerton] and I missed it. Credit to Remy [Martin] for trusting me again,” Lawrence said. “This a big step for my confidence.”

Similar to the closing moments on Monday, the first half was all about the Sun Devils.

After trading shots for a majority of the first 13 minutes, something clicked for ASU. The Sun Devils ended the half on a 22-7 run, carrying a 39-24 lead into the intermission.

MSU was held to 30 percent shooting and outrebounded 27-12 during the opening period. Coach Bobby Hurley attributed the Bulldogs’ anemic offensive performance to his team’s defensive identity, a facet of the Sun Devils’ game the fourth-year coach has emphasized since the offseason.

“I think we had a real carry over effect to how we’ve been defending and it’s been a point of emphasis to collectively rebound and defend at a high level,” Hurley said. “We did that at a ridiculous way in the first half.”

However, in the spirit of Las Vegas showmanship, Bulldogs’ coach Ben Howland pulled off a reappearing act, rallying MSU for the second half.

Forward Aric Holman scored seven straight points to open the period, igniting the Bulldogs’ offense. Guard Lamar Peters followed Holman’s surge with a 3-pointer to trim the Sun Devils’ lead to five.

Holman had a team-high 22 points for MSU.

Runs of six and 10 points by the Bulldogs bordered an 8-0 ASU run to keep the game close before both teams went back and forth exchanging baskets up until the final minute.

Guard Nick Weatherspoon erased the last of a 17-point deficit with 61 seconds remaining, setting up Lawrence’s shot.

While Lawrence filled the box score, it was balance and consistency that helped ASU prevail.

Freshman guard Luguentz Dort rebounded from a poor shooting night to finish with 17 points and nine rebounds. Martin recorded a 16-point, seven-assist showing to zero turnovers while senior forward Zylan Cheatham notched 12 points and nine rebounds.

Nursing an ankle injury through the beginning of the year, Martin appeared to benefit from extra days off made available as a result of ASU’s contest at San Francisco last Friday being postponed.

Next. ASU Basketball: Hurley’s recruits developing a new identity. dark

Now with a marquee victory under its belt, ASU turns its attention to Wednesday when the Sun Devils take on Utah State in the MGM Main Event Tournament final.

All quotes in this article were obtained firsthand by Devils in Detail unless otherwise noted.

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