Arizona State basketball won its home opener for the ninth consecutive season, edging Idaho State 55-48.
There were some question marks for this Sun Devils side going into the game, fresh off a 103-47 exhibition loss to No. 7 Duke on Oct. 27. While the opening minutes showed signs of the disaster in Durham, the Maroon and Gold (1-0) improved as the game went on to get the victory over the Bengals (0-1).
The Sun Devils held the lead for most of the game. But the Bengals responded late, making it a one-possession game late in the fourth quarter.
It was a close victory against the 314th squad in the country according to KenPom. So, there are some thing to improve as the non-conference slate becomes more rigorous as the week progresses.
“I described it like an AAU game like how we approached it,” Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley told reporters after the game. “It was a game that had no meaning to it. Especially in the first game, you would imagine there’s a lot of juice…Myself and my staff got to do a better job to get them ready to play.”
Takeaway #1: Defense hunkers down despite lack of focus
Groans and moans made their way around Desert Financial Arena within the first few minutes. The Sun Devils allowed the Bengals to make their way to the basket, and start the game on an 8-0 run.
But after allowing 11 points in the first four minutes, Arizona State’s defense stifled its opponent, holding Idaho State to nine points for the rest of the half. Specifically, they held the Bengals scoreless for eight minutes and 33 seconds.
The Maroon and Gold held the Bengals to shooting 25% from the field and 14% from behind the arc. They also forced eight turnovers.
Freshman forward Jayden Quaintance finished the night with six blocks, with many other deflections using his seven-foot, three-inch wingspan.
But it was a below-average performance from Quaintance. A five-star recruit is not supposed to have more blocks than points, rebounds, and assists combined.
“I don’t know if the fouls messed him up mentally,” Hurley said about Quaintance. “He was out of it today. I don’t think I’ve ever watched a game where he got one rebound.”
Takeaway #2: Transition scoring a bright spot in the offense
Despite sputtering towards the end of the game, the Sun Devils’ attack was in rhythm in spurts. They put up 24 fast break points, with 16 coming in the first half while the defense locked down the Bengals.
This included stellar wing play from senior guard Alston Mason and freshman guard Joson Sanon. Both are new to the team, and come in with high expectations.
Mason’s dad, Alton, played for the Sun Devils from 1998 to 2001. In his Sun Devil debut, Alston led the team with 14 points, with a couple of triples from the wings.
“I was in here when I was like five (years old),” Mason said in a postgame interview on the ESPN+ broadcast. “Being able to soak this all in is amazing…I think with a new team, and a lot of new freshmen and transfer, we’re all trying to learn how to play with each other. It’s a learning adjustment, but I think we’ll figure it out soon.”
Sanon came to the Valley as a five-star recruit from the state of Vermont. He followed Mason with 11 points, going 2-for-5 from three-point range.
However, Hurley’s side also had 14 turnovers. So, passing has room to improve going into the weekend.
Takeaway #3: The bench gets in on the action
Hurley made two changes to the starting lineup from the exhibition loss to Duke ahead of Tuesday night’s game. Sanon replaced senior guard/forward BJ Freeman and senior forward Basheer Jihad came in for junior center Shawn Phillips Jr.
That being said, Freeman and Phillips still impacted the game.
Freeman had 12 points in 22 minutes, which included going 3-for-4 from the line. He also had a +/- of 14, the highest amongst all players.
“As a leader, you gotta be composed and keep being a leader and just wait until your number is called,” said Freeman, who has sparse appearances coming off the bench in his career. “That’s what I’ve learned since I was a kid.”
Phillips spent 19 minutes on the court, as much time as Quaintance, and picked up eight points. Overall, the Maroon and Gold posted 25 bench points.
There could be an argument for starting Freeman and Phillips. Jihad struggled in the starting role. Despite eight rebounds and an assist, he failed to get on the scoresheet after an 11-point performance against Duke.
The argument is a bit tougher for Freeman, who could replace redshirt senior guard Adam Miller, a key returner to the Sun Devils. Miller had three points, three rebounds, and two assists. But the season is young, so Hurley could mix up his starting five in the coming days.
“There’s gotta be ownership right down the line, and it starts with me,” Hurley said. “We’re playing two teams the next two games that have a chance to look like NCAA tournament caliber teams. So, we gotta fix this thing quick.”
Up next for Arizona State (1-0): vs. Santa Clara (1-0) – Nov. 8 at 8:30 p.m. EST
Up next for Idaho State (0-1): at USC (1-0) – Nov. 7 at 10 p.m. EST