ASU MBB: Sun Devils Power Through Washington Huskies

The Sun Devils snapped their four-game losing streak with a much needed 86-75 win against the Washington Huskies.

After a disappointing three-game road trip, ASU was able to outlast freshman sensation Markelle Fultz to improve its record to 3-5 in the Pac-12 and 10-11 overall.

“We had to step up and try to get a win here,” junior guard Shannon Evans II said. “Now we’ve got to try to get one on Sunday as well, we’ve got to keep piling these wins together and try to climb back to the top of the pack.”

Head coach Bobby Hurley utilized his small ball lineup for much of the game but struggled early as the unit struggled to get to the rim. Huskies forwards Matthew Atewe and Noah Dickerson combined for 16 total rebounds.

More from Devils in Detail

An already small team, the Sun Devils bench was tested early when forward Obinna Oleka picked up two early fouls, forcing Hurley to give more minutes to freshmen Jethro Tshisumpa and Ramon Vila. The loss of Oleka required ASU to divert away from perimeter play and attack the basket.

Both Vila and Tshisumpa displayed a significant amount of improvement on the floor as Vila finished with five points and five rebounds and Tshisumpa recorded a career high of five points. The two big men combined for six offensive rebounds.

“(Tshisumpa and Vila) had good minutes, rebounding, scoring and (we were) able to use our bench and get productivity from it,” Hurley said.

ASU’s defense proved critical to the game as Shannon Evans II and the Sun Devils held Fultz to 8 points in the first half.

“It’s tough (guarding Fultz), he’s like 6’5, he’s fast, athletic and uses his teammates well,” Evans said.

Fultz finished the night with 28 points, eight rebounds and nine assists, doing most of his damage in the final five minutes of the second half.

Adding to ASU’s defensive success the Sun Devils also won the rebound battle 45-43 and managed 17 points off of Washington’s 11 turnovers.

“Our defense was probably as good as it’s been all year, especially in league play in the first half,” Hurley said. “Because we guarded and got stops and created some turnovers we had a good solid advantage going into half.”

After a sub-par first half from the Sun Devils’ perimeter offensively, headlined by junior guard Tra Holder finishing the half with only two points, Holder and the rest of the backcourt made the necesarry ajustments as the junior had 21 second half points, including a personal 11-0 run.

According to Hurley, Holder stepped up at a crucial time, “Really took over the game, and really delivered.”

Evans and senior guard Torian Graham also had major contributions to the offense as Evans finished with 25 points and Graham recorded 17 points, seven rebounds and two assists.

The Sun Devils will look to ride the momentum of their success as they face Washington State at home on Jan. 29.