(Photo: Brady Klain/WCSN)
In a night that was all of the good, bad and ugly for the Sun Devils, Bobby Hurley and his boys came away with their third victory in the young season’s third game, beating the Long Beach State University 49ers by a final score of 90-58.
The first half of the game was pure dominance for ASU. Pouring in 38 points before halftime and limiting their opponent to just 16 was the numerical representation of the all-around performance that Hurley has been so desperately looking for. The Niners tried to shoot the ball from all different angles and spots but all for none, as the Devils held the Big West representatives to just six makes in their first 31 attempts.
The stifling performance by the Devils did not stop at the 18.8 shooting percentage put up by LBSU. It was evident on offense as well. The Devils shooting percentage was low, sure, going just 12-of-32 from the field. But, with Remy Martin showing off his talents on offense for the first time this season, and a 22-point lead heading to the locker room, the combination of excellent defense and high octane offense had the Devils floating on cloud nine.
“The first half was the defense I have been looking for,” Hurley said. “Between the overall activity of our defense, our rotating, our protecting the basket, I thought it was outstanding.”
That was half one- a showing of Hurley’s hopes. But, as soon as the second half rolled around, so too did some of the team’s defensive struggles that have haunted them to start the 2018-’19 basketball season.
“Second half I thought there were some pockets where we didn’t get to three-point shooters and I wasn’t thrilled after some of our free throws,” Hurley said “We didn’t get back quick enough and matchup but just some things that all teams are going through,” Hurley said of the second half defensive lapses.
Where the Niners could not score in the first half, they knocked it down in the second. Breakaway points and lightly contested shots were plentiful for LBSU and they took advantage. In this half, the young Sun Devil squad was succumbing to some on-court immaturity. And, just as the half turned from one to two, the stat sheet flipped from Sun Devil dominance to some quiet LBSU excellence.
The Niners’ shooting percentage improved from the measly 18.8 percent first-half showing to a respectable 37.9 percent (11-29). The boost in shooting percentage was in large part due to exactly what Hurley said about not getting to three-point shooters. Long Beach was 2-of-15 from behind the arc in the first half, 7-of-15 in the second.
As Hurley said, these are struggles that every team will go through. With six players scoring double digits for the Sun Devils and 62 total rebounds, double that of Long Beach State, Hurley’s happier mood post-game was understood. His players are also starting to see what the team can become.
“Nobody on this team is selfish and everybody gives each other a look,” Remy Martin said. “We trust each other. When someone blows past the guards, we know the big guys will be there for us.”
It is trust that this team relies on so heavily. Hurley trusts Martin to lead the team and Martin trusts his ability to be a leader, not a numbers cruncher.
“I don’t care about the numbers,” Martin said of his performance. “I mean that when I say it. I want to get a win and I want to win right. Tonight, we won right.”
The Devils had hiccups in the second half but that did not paint the picture at Wells Fargo Arena. The Devils did win right. Martin is getting healthy, Luguentz Dort continues to blow past defenders and grab rebounds and Hurley, the team’s biggest critic and supporter, had a lot to be proud of. For the second straight year, the Devils are 3-0 to start the season and it appears that with the right defense and the right offense, Martin, Dort, and the rest of this young Sun Devil squad, have a lot to look forward to.
