ASU advances to Maui Invitational Championship with another high-scoring win

(Photo: Courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics)

With just over 40 seconds left in the game, and seven seconds left on the shot clock, Arizona State senior guard Moe Odum found himself moving down the wing toward the corner, ball in hand, when he went up for a three-point attempt with a Washington State defender in his face.

Odum hit an improbable 3-pointer the night before against Texas to send the Sun Devils to the semifinals of the Maui Invitational Championship. With his team up four in the waning moments, could he hit the dagger to be the hero once again?

Within a matter of seconds, the rattle of a rim and swish of the net answered “yes.”

Up by seven, Arizona State (6-1) had more than enough of a cushion over Washington State (3-4), as the two teams traded free throws down the stretch, giving the Sun Devils a 100-94 Tuesday night win. The victory sends them to the championship game of the tournament – their first appearance since 1994, when they beat Maryland 97-90. They’ll meet the University of Southern California.

Here are three takeaways from ASU’s win

Game-Defining Runs

WSU started the game with authority.

The Cougars launched and connected on three three-pointers within the first 70 seconds of action, taking a quick 9-0 lead while the Sun Devils were left wondering what punched them in the mouth.

A quick start like that can propel a team to control the rest of the game, leaving fans feeling the game was over before it even really started. It’s all about how the other team responds to that initial adversity, though.

In this instance, ASU responded swiftly and strongly.

A 14-0 run – kick-started by a second-chance Odum three-pointer and finished off on a fastbreak layup by freshman center Massamba Diop after Odum hit home on a nearly full-court pass, erased the Cougars’ lead and breathed new life into the Lahaina Civic Center.

The rest of the first half was a relatively close affair, but WSU entered the break with a 48-42 lead and created an 11-point, 60-49 gap within five minutes of exiting the locker room.

Once again, the Sun Devils would have to show they could respond to adversity. And respond they did.

Senior guard Anthony “Pig” Johnson flipped the switch with a ferocious dunk, sending ASU on a 16-5 run and tying the game at 65 apiece.

Matters were kept close until the final 6:05, when ASU abandoned the role of the hunter and embraced the hunted.

An 8-0 run, highlighted by Odum knocking down three free throws after he was fouled in the act of shooting beyond the arc, gave the Sun Devils an 84-78 lead, and helped set the stage for the New York native’s dagger.

Basketball is often referred to as a “game of runs,” but the Sun Devils could’ve simply let WSU run away with the game after its quick start. Instead, they showed grit and fight before flipping the script and taking control.

Lackluster Defense

With 1.1 seconds left on the game clock, Odum scored the 194th and final point of the game with a free throw. Safe to say Tuesday’s affair was an offensive shootout.

Trips to the line down the stretch for both squads slightly inflated the scoring in Hawaii, but both teams still combined to make 62 shots from the field on 55.9% accuracy.

The Sun Devils might’ve gotten the best of the high-scoring affair, but defensive performances like the one displayed Tuesday night have the potential to take them out of games in the future.

In the first half, ASU allowed WSU to make 17-28 (60.7%) of its shots from the field and go 10-15 (66.7%) from beyond the arc. Lackluster closeouts – which have been a problem for the Sun Devils at times this year, primarily in their 75-62 win over Georgia State – defensive miscommunication and a lack of effort to stop players in the paint all contributed to those high numbers.

The defense shored up in the second half, with ASU limiting WSU to 12-27 (44.4%) from the floor and 4-11 (36.4%) from three-point land. Diop in particular stepped up, recording two blocks in the final 20 minutes of play.

No matter which half it was, though, the Sun Devils had no answer for Cougars’ freshman guard Ace Glass, who had a career night, dropping 16 points in the first half, followed by 24 in the second.

Allowing 94 points and allowing an individual player to score 40 are both ingredients for a loss. If ASU can’t stop the hot hand going forward, that hand could bite them.

More Than “Maui Moe”

Odum was once again the star of the show.

After dropping a career-high 36 points, including his game-winning three-pointer, against Texas, he didn’t take his foot off the gas.

Odum’s Tuesday wasn’t as dominant as his Monday, but a 19-point second half propelled him to a team-leading 26 points, as he was once again the engine of the offense, dishing out five assists throughout the game and scoring with 66.7/71.4/100 shooting splits.

Odum wasn’t the only Sun Devil to have a game to be proud of; however, an important detail since he and Johnson were the only players to reach the double-digit mark in scoring against the Longhorns.

Odum, junior guard Bryce Ford (18), Johnson (13), and Diop (12) all eclipsed 10 points, with graduate forward Allen Mukeba (9) and sophomore guard Noah Meeusen (8) just missing the party.

Johnson provided sparks when necessary with his aggressive slashing style of play, and Ford was instrumental to ASU’s 16-5 second-half run, knocking down two three-pointers in quick succession. Diop’s 12 points were an especially welcome sight after he struggled to the tune of a season-worst 6 points against UT.

The Sun Devils won’t always be able to rely on Odum, especially against the tough defenses of the Big 12 Conference. If ASU can prove it can replicate this style of offensive performance, with multiple players getting involved, head coach Bobby Hurley could possess a much-needed multi-layered offense with built-in security measures.