Arizona State basketball defeated Grand Canyon 87-76 at the Jerry Colangelo Hall of Fame Series at Footprint Center.
This was one of the games that both fanbases had circled on the calendar when it was announced. Both teams have changed a lot since their last meeting on Dec. 9, 2021. But the result did not, as the Sun Devils (3-1) downed the Lopes (2-1) on Thursday night to reign supreme in the Valley.
The win also marked Bobby Hurley’s 200th win as an NCAA head coach.
“Nobody in the country, through four games, has played a harder schedule than us,” Hurley told reporters after the game. “For us to be where we are right now. We’re in a good spot.”
Here are three takeaways from the win.
Takeaway #1: A much better Hall of Fame Series Game
Thursday night’s matchup was very similar to last year’s Jerry Colangelo Hall of Fame Series game for the Sun Devils. They faced a Northwestern team that similar to GCU, was drawing some votes into the Top 25. The Sun Devils fell behind early, trailing by 23 at the half and losing 65-46.
It was a bitter result for a team that was reeling from a March Madness appearance the year prior. By the time the third quarter rolled around. “U of A” chants echoed throughout the arena. The Wildcats took on Alabama after the game.
“We work very hard to be an NCAA Tournament program, we did that last year,” Hurley said after that game. “We’re going to fight for the program and do what we have to do to change and see who wants to move forward with us and be about the right things and who doesn’t. We’ll find out a lot over the next couple of weeks.”
The Maroon and Gold returned to the Footprint Center 327 days later with a changed roster. In fact, redshirt senior guard Adam Miller was the only starter against GCU to start in the loss to Northwestern.
Because the game took place in November, the Havocs and the 942 Crew filled Footprint Center, with 13,705 in attendance. While the GCU supporters made more noise, the Sun Devils energized their fans, with much-improved play.
Hurley recruited and retooled with his best recruiting class in history and some key transfers. In the course of a year, he has turned a double-digit loss into a double-digit win.
Takeaway #2: Sanon, Jihad, and Mason electrify the offense
Speaking of a stellar recruiting class and some key transfers, Hurley saw both show up on Thursday night.
Freshman guard Joson Sanon led the Sun Devils with a season-high 21 points off the bench. It was the four-star’s first omission from the starting lineup since the exhibition against Duke on Oct. 27. In his 29 minutes of action, Sanon went 8-for-12 from the field and 5-for-7 from three-point land. He also pulled in three rebounds.
Senior forward Basheer Jihad followed Sanon with 18 points and five assists fresh off a double-double against Gonzaga. The Ball State transfer scored 13 of those 18 in the second half, gracefully dodging GCU defenders on his way to the basket. Jihad’s contributions helped the Maroon and Gold bolster their lead into the waning moments of the game.
Like Jihad, senior guard Alston Mason played 33 minutes and had five assists. He also had 16 points, with 11 coming in the second half. Additionally, The Missouri State transfer made a key layup with seconds remaining in the first half to give the Sun Devils the lead into the break.
Takeaway #3: Sun Devils stave off sloppiness
At the first media timeout, there were seven personal fouls. Some of them offensive fouls, mostly on GCU. Most of them defensive. There were 41 fouls in the game–21 for the Sun Devils and 20 for the Lopes. However, nobody fouled out.
Nonetheless, both teams hit the bonus with a good chunk remaining in both halves, leading to multiple free throws. GCU went 17-for-25 from the line while Arizona State went 18-for-21. Jihad led the way for the Maroon and Gold going 9-for-11. Graduate guard Tyon Grant-Foster, the reigning WAC Player of the Year, went 8-for-12 for the team in purple.
Each team also had 15 turnovers. But communication improved for the Sun Devils as the game went on. 11 turnovers in the first half. Only four in the second.
Up next for Arizona State: vs. St. Thomas (2-1) – Nov. 17 at 8 p.m. EST
Up next for Grand Canyon: vs. UC Davis (2-1) – Nov. 20 at 9 p.m. EST