ASU Men’s Basketball: Sun Devils finish strong to continue record-setting start

(Photo: Tyler Rittenhouse/WCSN)

No. 3 ASU overcame another slow start to defeat Longwood 95-61 Tuesday night in Tempe.

The Sun Devils had a tough time passing and struggled to incorporate the front court into the offense in a sluggish first half.

Freshman big man Romello White, the team’s third highest scorer entering the game, was held scoreless in the opening frame.

Senior guard Tra Holder kept the Devils afloat, scoring 10 first half points highlighted by a transition layup that put ASU ahead 28-20, its largest lead to that point.

The Lancers weren’t going away just yet. Senior guard B.K. Ashe, who led both teams with 12 first half points, hit a three in the face of senior guard Shannon Evans II to spark a mini rally to tie the game at 30.

ASU finished the first half with a 5-0 run though, as an Evans dish down low to junior De’Quon Lake (16 points, team-high 9 rebounds) for a dunk foreshadowed what was to come.

Simply put, the second half was the opposite of the first half.

Head coach Bobby Hurley appeared to wake his team up in the locker room, as it played at a faster tempo, moved the ball with ease and maintained a full-court press throughout the duration of the second.

The aggressive, faster style of play made ASU look more like the third-ranked team.

It went on a 12-0 run after exchanging buckets early in the half, which then extended to a 19-4 run to put them ahead 57-38 at the under-12 timeout.

A variety of players stepped up to break it open for the Sun Devils; namely seniors Kodi Justice and Tra Holder, as well as freshman guard Remy Martin.

Justice nailed four threes in the second en route to 18 points, while Holder put up another 10-point half to finish with a game-high 20.

Martin flirted with a triple-double himself, putting up 13 points (all in the second half), nine assists and seven rebounds on the night. The highlight for him came in garbage time, as he executed a between-the-legs dribble from behind and euro-stepped his way to a layup, impressing the crowd of 9,308 and the Sun Devil bench.

Sophomore forward Mikey Mitchell also played with consistently high energy, much like ASU throughout the second half despite its increasing lead.

The Ohio State transfer finished with 12 points, five rebounds, two steals and two swats in his third game of action.

The Sun Devils improved their school record-setting start to 11-0 and are one of four undefeated teams in the top 25.

Longwood falls to 3-9 overall with the loss.

ASU will look to continue its winning streak against the Pacific Boxers Friday afternoon at 1 p.m. in Tempe.

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