(Photo: Jordan Keats/WCSN)
TEMPE – The term bully ball often describes teams or players who aim to dominate opponents physically, with the painted area beneath the basket playing a vital role in their strategy.
Themes such as size, rebounding, defense and post-focused offense often come to mind when thinking of the phrase.
For Arizona State on Friday night, the term couldn’t be more on the nose.
While the Sun Devils dominated the rebounding facet of bully ball, 48-35, head coach Randy Bennett emphasized that it was only a small portion of the team’s game plan and that the gap on the glass could’ve been larger.
“That’s one of our big deals: rebounding, defending, taking care of the ball and then being efficient offensively,” Bennett said. “Our guys did a good job. I have no complaints, but we could have put that number up even higher.
“But we keep getting better.”
ASU (4-0) took care of the four aspects Bennett emphasized and more in a dominant 92-62 home victory over Louisiana Monroe (1-4). Bennett noted how draining the Sun Devils’ efforts inside must have been for a tired Warhawks team on a long road trip.
“We made it tough for them to score, and we pounded them on the boards,” Bennett said. “We did what we were supposed to do.”
From the get-go, ASU was favored in these categories, owning an insurmountable height advantage. The Sun Devils’ starters’ average height of 6-foot-7 towered over ULM’s starting lineup, which featured three guards and an average height of 6-foot-4.
Naturally, ASU’s advantage led to the team grabbing 20 offensive rebounds, creating 20 second-chance points against an outmatched Warhawks. Defensively, the Sun Devils’ interior presence was felt, forcing ULM to shoot 30% at the rim and 33.9% from the field.
A key factor in ASU’s defense was the ability to create offense off the other team’s miscues while protecting the ball. The Sun Devils only turned the ball over eight times and forced the Warhawks into 14 turnovers, which the team used to generate 25 points.
Apart from a poor sequence late in the game, Bennett walked away proud of his team’s execution on the defensive end of the floor.
“We were good until the last eight to 10 minutes,” Bennett said. “Our defensive numbers are good.”
Limiting ULM’s 3-point shooting was a point of emphasis for Bennett going into Friday, and after holding the opposition to 33.3% from beyond the arc, he feels his team rose to the occasion.
“We did a pretty good job tonight,” Bennett said. “They got some buckets late; that can happen, but we don’t want it to happen.”
The Warhawks employed a tricky defense of their own, coming out in a zone that befuddled the Sun Devils at first, leading to an early deficit. Bennett owned up to the team’s poor start, criticizing their lack of composure and failure to prepare for the defensive matchup.
“You just have to have some composure; we should be able to do that at this point,” Bennett said. “We probably didn’t have them well enough prepared for the changing defenses that they present, and so it’s on us. We were a little stunned at the beginning, but then we got it fixed pretty quick.”
Along with the size difference, Bennett credited this zone defense in ASU’s monster night on the glass.
“It’s not that unusual for how we play, but it became a big point of emphasis because of the way they defend,” Bennett said. “Anytime they play zone, we should just get a shot and smash the boards, and that’s kind of what we did.”
Fourth-year forward Paulis Murauskas, third-year center Ben Defty and second-year forward Dillan Shaw led the way, snaring 13, six and eight rebounds respectively.
“Paulius (Murauskas) dominated down there, Benny was good for us there and then, Dillan’s (Shaw) always good on the boards,” Bennett said. “Those three guys, for sure, were pretty good.”
Murauskas did more than just rebound, totaling 31 points on the night in a team-leading effort. Shaw, on the other hand, had a quiet night, scoring 12 points but managed to add production on defense, adding two steals and two blocks on Friday.
Outside of the stars, Bennett highlighted production from his spark plug sharpshooters in first-year guard JRob Croy and fourth-year guard Bryce Ford, who, with fourth-year guard Emmanuel Innocenti sidelined due to injury, have found increased roles in the team’s lineup.
“They bring energy because they can make shots. That’s the advantage of having good shooters,” Bennett said. “Bryce’s (Ford) has a nice way about him on that, and so does JRob (Croy). They have good confidence, and so it gives us a little more of a scoring punch. We should be getting Emmanuel (Innocenti) back here soon, which will give us more depth.
“Those guys will be key factors for us all year.”
Both guards tallied eight points on the evening, aiding starting second-year point guard Joel Foxwell in accumulating nine assists. As for Foxwell, Croy and Ford provide trustworthy shooters he can pass to with confidence.
“I think it’s just the confidence that they play with,” Foxwell said. “If you pass them the ball, you know it’s most likely going to go in, and if not, you know they’re going to make the next one. So I think it’s good to play with guys like that, who are flat-out scorers who can really, really help the team win.”
After Tuesday’s 22-point victory against Hofstra, Foxwell expressed enjoyment in beating teams by large amounts. Now, after Friday’s physically dominant 30-point victory over ULM, the point guard is feeling even better.
“I think it’s more fun when you see teams break,” Foxwell said. “When they’re all arguing with each other, and your guys are all happy, and we’re all up and about. It’s more enjoyable when you can win games by large margins.”
