(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)
ASU men’s basketball took care of business Thursday in its penultimate home game, dominating the lowly California Golden Bears 84-53.
The Sun Devils (20-9, 8-9 Pac-12) set the agenda from the opening tip. They played in cruise control for much of the night. The Bears (8-22, 2-15 Pac-12) consistently showcased why they’re worst team in the conference.
Romello White — who finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds — faced minimal resistance on the block. He noticed the opportunity early on.
“I just felt like they was lazy,” White said. “I was just walking in front of them, dunking them in, getting deep post touches. Why not attack them if they’re gonna play like that?”
Three-point shooting was another bugaboo for Cal. A 0-of-18 clip from beyond the arc was just one of many offensive woes the Bears experienced, as they shot just 34 percent from the field.
Arizona State, however, was in its groove. The Sun Devils were able to slice through the Cal defense with ease and move the ball with pace. As a result, they got to the line 37 times and scored 40 points in the paint.
ASU eased its way through the first half with a fluctuating single-digit lead, but the second half was where the game blew open. The early moments of the half featured flashy passes (mostly from Remy Martin), quality defense and tantalizing fast break finishes. Cal’s possessions were riddled with preventable turnovers, missed layups and lackadaisical play.
“Some of the plays in the second half were who we are and who we’ve been for most of the year,” ASU head coach Bobby Hurley said. “There were so many different examples of us playing with a little more swagger.”
As the game approached its conclusion, ASU pulled even further away, getting even flashier than it had in the previous 30 minutes. Kodi Justice surpassed 1,000 career points on a fake behind-the-back pass that resulted in a layup, a play that truly encapsulated his career as a Sun Devil.
.@kodijustice44 goes full “Pistol” for career point No. 1,000. pic.twitter.com/kn57sadD00
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) March 2, 2018
After that, it was walk-on time.
Austin Witherill was the first to see the floor among the walk-ons and buried a contested three, sending what was left of a sparse Wells Fargo Arena crowd into a frenzy. He missed the rim by three feet on his next attempt — and the other walk-ons failed to score despite a strong effort — but the bench remained supportive.
The locker room vibe was positive after this one, according to Hurley. It was a refreshing performance for ASU after a three-game losing streak — an opportunity to right the ship and pick up momentum heading into the postseason.
“When you’ve lost a couple in a row, a couple close games, you start to doubt yourself some,” Hurley said. “Hopefully we carry momentum into this next game.”
ASU concludes its regular season schedule on Saturday afternoon against Stanford, with tipoff scheduled for 12:30 p.m. in Tempe. After that, it’s on to Las Vegas for the Pac-12 tournament.
