Sun Devils Earn Comeback in Honolulu, but had their Flaws Exposed

(Photo: Courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics)

Arizona State traveled to Honolulu for a hard-fought 83-76 victory over the University of Hawaii on Thursday.

In their first away game of the season, the Sun Devils’ (4-1) talented guards and strong second half made up for their deficit in the paint. The Rainbow Warriors’ (4-2) four-game winning streak ended, but they still showcased their talent and ability to compete with Power Four opponents.

While they won by seven points, the game was even closer than the score showed. ASU only led for 6-minutes and 7-seconds, While the host led for over 27 minutes. The teams were locked at 67 points with 4:30 minutes left before ASU’s Allen Mukemba made a layup to put the Sun Devils ahead for good. The win delivered head coach Bobby Hurley’s 49th halftime comeback win in his career with the Sun Devils.

Like most competitive games, this one showcased ASU’s strengths and weaknesses. It gave up double-digit points to three Rainbow Warriors and sent their opponents to the free throw line 26 times. Offensively it made just 64.9% of its 37 free throws. The triumphs, like 32 bench points and 12 offensive rebounds, were enough to secure a Sun Devil win, but this game may have given hints of what lies in store for Big 12 Conference play. Here are some takeaways from the victory.

Inconsistent Runs

Oftentimes through its first five games ASU has appeared to fall asleep for stretches, like when it gave up the lead and 13 unanswered points against Gonzaga. Two games later and it had similar struggles. Facing a much lower ranked team, the Sun Devils were sluggish to start. They did not score for nearly three and a half minutes until Moe Odum made a jumper to put them on the board.

In the second half, they gave up a 9-3 run marked by four missed 3-point shots by ASU. This was a part of a larger, season-long problem for the Sun Devils. They came into the game 13th in the Big 12 in shooting percentage beyond the arc. Tonight they shot 37%, four percent higher than their season average but still below expectations. Leading the offense, Odum made just one of his six 3-point attempts.

While he wasn’t productive from deep, Odum was still essential in many of ASU’s positive runs of their own. He scored 15 points and led the team on runs of 11-3 in the first half and 10-0 to take the lead late in the game. That final run included makes from four players, Odum, Mukemba, Bryce Ford and Anthony “Pig” Johnson.

While its ability to take over games has kept ASU winning, disappearing for stretches could sink it against the tougher teams on the schedule.

Guard Rotation

Surpassing Odum’s 15 points was fellow senior Johnson with 16 points off the bench. Those two form a quad rotation at guard with junior Ford and sophomore Noah Meeusen. This has quickly become arguably the Sun Devils’ strongest position group. Johnson and Odum finished 2nd and 3rd in scoring against Hawai’i, only behind Ford’s career high 20 points.

Over the past few games, Ford has taken a bigger role in commanding the offense while becoming a defensive contributor. Tonight he had two steals and the highest field goal percentage of any Sun Devil with multiple shots.

The Sun Devils are at their best when they can rely on their depth. Meeusen missing time led to extra minutes for Odum and poor shot selection in them. Tonight was no different. Odum often took deep threes or forced shots, which detracted from ASU’s team first style. Fortunately for him Ford and Johnson were able to step up as lead scorers in the first half, allowing him to focus on facilitating.

Hurley often played three guards at a time and five different guards total in the second half. This strategy brought speed to the court and allowed the Sun Devils to improve their fast break points from two in the first half to 17 in total.

Paint Problems

Transition was just one of the glaring problems for ASU heading into halftime. It was also outscored 22-10 in the paint. Hawai’i’s center Isaac Johnson scored 23 total points. His veteran experience and physicality gave him the edge over ASU’s freshman Massamba Diop in rebounds and points.

In the second half ASU closed the rebounding gap and ended with 33 total rebounds, the same number as the Rainbow Warriors. Like usual, forward Santiago Trouet led the team in boards. The change was in Allen Mukemba’s role. Hurley often chose to roll out the senior instead of Diop leading to Mukemba’s most points, rebounds and minutes over the last three games. While foul trouble contributed, Diop’s 24 minutes were the fewest of his career.

His rotation with Mukemba will be something to monitor as the season moves on, especially against teams like Hawai’i and Gonzaga whose leading scorers play the five spot.

Next Up

As 2.5-point underdogs and completing their second straight comeback win, the Sun Devils showed resilience. There is no time to rest for ASU, as it stays in Hawaii for the Southwest Maui Invitational. It opens the tournament with Texas on Nov. 24.