(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)
When Arizona State University trailed by as much as 14 points in the first half against the Univerity of California Bears, ASU head coach Bobby Hurley’s fears of a 2017-18esque collapse started to become a reality, but a career-high 24 points from Remy Martin kept those fears down and ASU won 80-66.
After an upsetting loss to Utah, Hurley chose to move prominent guards Luguentz Dort and Remy Martin to the bench. The move was made to help the two guards rediscover their form and, in a way, serve as a demotion of sorts for poor play. But, when Hurley moved Martin to the bench, it served as a glimpse into the past. His teammates and his fans watched as the sophomore guard reverted to his Sixth Man of the Year form to lead the Devils to dominant victories as a member of the bench for the first time since Guard U.
Martin amassed the second most minutes on the team playing 33 minutes second to Zylan Cheatham’s 35. In his playing time, Martin went 9-of-14 from the field with 24 points. He finished the contest with five of the team’s eight three-pointers all while keeping his teammates involved piling eight assists onto his already impressive line score.
The outpouring of offense from Martin seemed to serve as a beacon of energy for the rest of his team, which trailed from its 2-0 lead until a minute into the second half of the game. Zylan Cheatham, Rob Edwards and Dort ultimately came away with double-digit scoring totals posting 17, 13 and 13 points respectively.
Defensively, the otherwise inconsistent Devils held the Bears to just 66 total points on the night on 38.5 percent shooting. Cal saw just two of its nine players who appeared in the contest break the double-digit barrier.
When Pac-12 play began against Utah, the then ranked Sun Devils took the court as the favorites not only to win that matchup but the Pac-12 as a whole. But, when the Devils left the court defeated by the Utes, their collapse after a win against Kansas felt like deja vu. However, after a win that represented the pure drive and determination of this young Sun Devil team, perhaps Hurley and his sophomore side kick can sit atop the Pac after all.
