(Photo: Dom Contini/WCSN)
After not having much of an impact for the majority of the game, fifth-year guard Marreon Jackson took over late, scoring Arizona State Men’s Basketball’s final eight points as the Sun Devils downed visiting North Florida 72-63 at Desert Financial Arena on Monday night.
“I was happy to see contributions from a guy like Marreon (Jackson) late in the game,” ASU head coach Bobby Hurley said postgame. “And maybe he could build off that and get some momentum, so that was exciting to see.”
Jackson, having only taken five shots the entire game, hit two threes down the stretch – one of which with the shot clock winding down and heavy defense around – then hit two free throws with 37 seconds to play to turn ASU’s three point lead to an 11-point advantage.
“I’m definitely satisfied with my play today, especially coming from the last two games when I was pressing, and trying to get comfortable with a new team,” Jackson said. “After I hit my first shot in the first half, I wasn’t really worried about missing again. I was getting my confidence back from that one and that’s all I needed.”
The beginning of the game looked a lot like Thursday’s, where UC Riverside hit 14 three-pointers. North Florida knocked down their first four from beyond the arc and built a 16-4 lead from the jump.
Sophomore guard Jay Heath got the Sun Devils started on the comeback trail though, laying one in to stop the Ospreys’ 6-0 run. During the burst, they received hot shooting from redshirt sophomore guard Jose Placer. He nailed six of his seven shots in the first half, two of them from downtown, and scored 15 points.
Heath returned after missing the first two games of the season and instantly gave ASU a boost it needed.
“He came off the bench and gave us that spark we needed, diving for the ball and it got everyone’s energy up,” Jackson said. “Plays like that are very crucial, especially with the team we have now with new guys.”
The Sun Devils, however, had a run in them and had a hot hand themselves. Sophomore guard DJ Horne scored 11 first half points on four of five shooting.
“He did some nice things tonight, scoring it for us and had a bounce back game,” Hurley said. “Guys expect him to make shots if he has an opening, and he’s more than just a shooter. He could put it on the floor and he’s a playmaker.”
Horne made his first start as a Sun Devil on Monday, scoring a team-high 16 points, dishing out two assists and five rebounds. Those statistics made him the second most effective player for ASU with a +11 plus-minus. He fell only behind freshman forward Jamiya Neal, who was +18.
“I just think he’s getting in a better rhythm,” Hurley said. “The minutes are there. He and Marreon [Jackson] have had a good connection. So I think it’s a matter of just all these guys gelling and then feeling comfortable in their surroundings and I think DJ took a step in the right direction in that regard.”
Horne was ready to forget about the previous game, and in particular his individual performance.
“I just felt like I had a good bounce back, especially from last game,” Horne said. “So just going in this game, I told myself that I needed to have a short memory and I feel like I did that.”
ASU received contributions from nine different players in the first half, getting points from eight of them. Players coming off the bench scored 15 points in the first half, compared to just five in their loss to UC Riverside.
The Sun Devils ended the half on a 35-21 stretch, getting an effective nine minutes from freshman center Enoch Boakye. He was a +10 and made all three of his shots for six points and grabbed five rebounds.
The defense that ended the first half carried over to the second half for ASU. Through the first 12 minutes of the half, the Sun Devils held North Florida to just nine points and were able to build a 10-point lead.
“I think we’re still a work in progress, and I thought, defensively, we stepped up and guarded better in the second half, and really did a good job from a percentage standpoint to put ourselves in a good position,” Hurley said.
The defense stepped up the intensity as it consistently got North Florida to shoot late in the shot clock and forced eight turnovers throughout the stretch.
However, the Ospreys weren’t done yet. A 12-2 run cut the Sun Devils’ lead to just two. Four ASU turnovers turned the tide of the game and set up another close finish, something the Sun Devils have now become accustomed to just three games into the season.
“I think just playing in close games is beneficial when you can get some work in when the game’s on the line,” Hurley said.
Jackson is hoping that the close games in November will help the team build experience for close games later in the season.
“‘I’m actually glad that we get in these tough games like this, because it’s gonna teach us later on how to close games,” Jackson said. “Especially in conference play at this level, where you got to grind it out.”
A key negative for the Sun Devils was the charity stripe. They struck out in the first half, missing all six chances and were seven of 18 on the night from the free-throw line.
“I’m trying to stay positive but certainly you don’t want to shoot those numbers,” Hurley said. “It’s obviously not something that you want to see.”
With nine players seeing time on the floor, Hurley was still able to mix and match different lineups in the win. Fifth-year forward Kimani Lawrence, junior forward Jalen Graham and junior forward Alonzo Gaffney all saw time on the floor together. Hurley hopes that it will help decision-making as ASU heads on the road to face San Diego State on Thursday.
“I wanted to see them [Lawrence, Graham and Gaffney] out there, especially with San Diego State and how big they are,” Hurley said. “They’ve had more game pressure on them to execute and figure out how to close out a game.”
ASU played the second half without sophomore forward Marcus Bagley, who left the game midway through the first half with an apparent lower body injury. He played nine minutes and missed all four shots he took before being seen with ice on his knee.
“I am concerned, you don’t know,” Hurley said. “This is another minor step back, so we just have to be careful and see what he looks like tomorrow.”
