ASU spreads the wealth and lights it up to stay unbeaten

(Photo: Connor Gleason/WCSN)

TEMPE – With under 16 minutes to play in the second half, second-year guard Joel Foxwell launched an NBA-range 3-pointer, hitting nothing but net and sending the Desert Financial Arena crowd into a frenzy.

It was Arizona State’s third three in as many trips down the floor, and every member of the bench exploded out of their seats. The bucket capped a 17-3 Sun Devil run after the halftime break.

Foxwell was a key factor in the 3-point show that ASU put on with help from first-year guard JRob Croy and fourth-year guard Bryce Ford.

The Sun Devils (3-0) went 13-of-26 from long range, propelling themselves to a commanding 85- 63 win over Hofstra (1-2) on Tuesday night. Three players reached double figures, and all 11 healthy players were on the floor for multiple minutes, showing the potential depth and ceiling for a team in a new era.

Croy started the night 0-for-2, but stayed in the game mentally to spark the hot shooting effort. He hit two straight threes as the clock approached the second half’s opening media timeout, then yelled with excitement as the home crowd prepared for separation.

“After I missed those first two, every guy on our team was telling me, ‘next shot,’” Croy said. “That just gives me so much confidence, knowing I have teammates that believe in me.”

The players have seemingly fed off that belief. When halftime arrived, the DFA crowd drowned out the noise of the buzzer because first-year forward Ajak Nyuon connected from three for his first collegiate bucket.

Nyuon entered the game for fourth-year forward Paulius Murauskas – who was in slight foul trouble, having picked up two – with 38 seconds left. Even though he had only played six minutes on the season prior, he pulled the trigger.

“The play of the game was Ajak’s three right before half,” head coach Randy Bennett said. “We were up six. Going up nine (was big).”

Nyuon added another three in the second half, contributing to such a share of the wealth from ASU’s offense. Eight different players scored, making up for fourth-year forward Emmanuel Innocenti’s absence due to an ankle injury that Randy Bennett said could be in the rearview mirror by Friday.

Murauskas was the leading scorer for the third consecutive game, but he was often double-teamed. Croy said that when the opponent’s attention is all on Murauskas, it allows the Sun Devil shooters to get open.

“We’re going to need Paulius every night,” Croy said. “But I think it just speaks to the depth on this team.

“Guys like Foxy, Dillan (Shaw) and Bryce (Ford) … anyone can have a great night.”

The Hofstra defense fouled Murauskas on several occasions and was constantly guarding him tightly. Bennett said that Murauskas is likely the centerpiece of the opponent’s scouting approach, so the players that guard him will often get into foul trouble.

Bennett approves of Murauskas’ shot selection and said that everyone knows he is the leader, but with Innocenti out and a clear opposing game plan against Murauskas, more players can get involved.

“I don’t like not having E-man (Innocenti), but in some ways, it’s probably helped our young guys get some key minutes and develop.

“And shows us, offensively, a way that we can be explosive. Because … you get Bryce and Foxy and JRob out there, they can explode on you for three.”

Croy has played the most minutes of any first-year player, even though he missed the entirety of his senior year of high school due to injury. He flipped his commitment from Saint Mary’s to ASU when Bennett made the move, so he knows the system and has been able to fit in.

“We have such a good staff. From Coach Bennett all the way to … our managers,” Croy said. “Everyone does such a good job preparing us for the games, and it definitely helps with your belief.”

That belief has helped ASU win by more than 20 points in each of its last two contests after only a ten-point win on opening night. Foxwell said the players are starting to recognize who they are as a group and that it is translating on the court, but he wants more.

“We need to be able to break teams,” he said. “We could have pushed it to 30 or 40, and the game could have been completely over with 10 minutes to go.”

Bennett agrees. He said that the team focuses on playing to each four-minute media timeout, trying to win as many increments as possible instead of trying to play 40 minutes at once.

Throughout the summer and early season, he has consistently thought about the ceiling of this team. It was a clear point for him to recruit and build the team to be able to play at a high level in all facets.

When he sits back and thinks about the big picture, he truly believes that this team can compete in the Big 12.

“I compare them to our good teams at Saint Mary’s,” Bennett said. “Those were usually top-25ish … we are every bit in that conversation.”

Bennett referenced his centers’ play after each game before Tuesday. He mentioned that first-year center Filip Malesevic had a crucial impact, and that third-year center Ben Defty was going to improve.

Against Hofstra, Defty had a 29-plus-minus, which was the team’s best. Malesevic was minus seven in that department after leading the team in that stat prior. Bennett was pleased to see that Defty had such an impact, specifically on the boards.

“He should get boards,” Bennett said. “He’s seven foot, he’s got good hands … he’s got to get used to the physicality at this level.”

Bennett said that Defty played his best game to date, and constantly mentioned how much each player is needed. He specifically said that Croy, Ford and Murauskas are crucial to the team’s success.

Bennett described Croy’s performance on Tuesday as “exceptional,” and was entertained by the approximate eight-minute stretch of constant buckets from his squad. But he is ready to get back to work and clean up the team’s rebounding, turnover margin and three-point looks allowed.

With more improvement, Bennett looks forward to January.

“I think by the time Big 12 hits, we should be ready for the brawl,” he said. “And it’s gonna be a brawl.”

That continuous belief has become a subtle theme during the transition period to the new era.

On Tuesday, 5,048 fans filed into the arena, possibly gaining belief that the maroon and gold can be in the mix in March. On Friday, UL-Monroe will try to hand ASU its first loss.

But in the meantime, Croy said that he and his teammates have to stay process-oriented.

“When we are up and going, we are pretty hard to stop as a unit,” Foxwell said.