(Photo: Susan Wong/WCSN)
Arizona State Men’s Basketball simply had no answer for USC’s Evan and Isaiah Mobley Wednesday night in Los Angeles.
The freshman, Evan, is considered one of the top prospects in the upcoming 2021 NBA Draft. The five-star center displayed those pro-level skills on Wednesday night, posting a stat line of 22 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, three blocks and two steals.
The sophomore, Isaiah, might not get the same national attention as his younger brother does, but that didn’t show on the court. The eldest Mobley brother recorded a double-double against the Sun Devils with 20 points and 12 rebounds.
Behind these two emphatic performances, and a plethora of solid performances from other Trojans, No. 17 USC (18-3, 12-2) defeated ASU (7-10, 4-7) 89-71 despite an electric 30-point performance by the Sun Devils’ senior guard Remy Martin.
“Any time you have those type of numbers it doesn’t bode well for your chances,” ASU head coach Bobby Hurley said of the Mobley brothers’ performances.
Although the scoreboard showed an 18-point defeat for the Sun Devils, there were a lot of bright spots – especially offensively – for a short-handed ASU squad.
Despite missing two key starters – freshman guard Josh Christopher and freshman forward Marcus Bagley – the Sun Devils came out firing on all cylinders in the first half.
Martin got his huge scoring night started right away. The senior guard shot a scorching 6-of-8 from the field, including three 3-pointers, and recorded a team-high 15 points in the first frame.
“Great game by Remy, he just really put the team on his back,” Hurley said.
The rest of the Sun Devils followed Martin’s lead. ASU poured in 44 points in the first half and shot an efficient 56.3 percent from the field.
The game was being played at a pace that ASU has been very comfortable with: fast.
USC’s zone defense was not able to handle the rapid ball movement from the Sun Devils. ASU broke down the Trojans’ zone and capitalized seemingly everytime, as the Sun Devils nailed six 3-pointers at a 66.7 percent clip.
“Bright side for us [was] our offense,” Hurley said. “Our numbers were very good, especially in the first half.”
Despite ASU’s emphatic offensive showing in the first 20 minutes, USC was just as explosive.
The Mobley brothers were dominating down in the paint, throwing down plenty of highlight-reel dunks and knocking down shots. But another X-factor for the Trojans in the first half was senior guard Tahj Eaddy. Eaddy scored 15 points, shooting 6-of-9 from the field and 3-of-4 from behind the arc.
At the end of the first frame, the Sun Devils were neck-and-neck with the top team in the Pac-12 as they trailed 46-44.
However, the second half was not the same story. Besides Martin, the rest of the Sun Devils’ offense cooled down.
The relentless offensive attack from the Trojans down-low and from behind the arc eventually buried ASU. USC finished the night shooting 54.5 percent from the field and 55 percent from three to go along with 44 points in the paint.
“I told the team even at the six or seven-minute mark, there was still a realistic chance to win,” Hurley said. “I think the final score doesn’t reflect maybe how close the game was.”
Things aren’t going to be easier for the Sun Devils in their next matchup. ASU is scheduled to play at UCLA – who currently sits in second in the Pac-12 standings – on Saturday with the status of Christopher, Bagley and junior forward Chris Osten in question.
The last time the Bruins and Sun Devils matched up, ASU fell short in overtime 81-75. Hurley’s squad will look for redemption on Feb. 20 from Pauley Pavillion at 8 p.m. MT.
