Sun Devils buck difficult start for dominant win over ULM

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Arizona State was lost. Louisiana-Monroe, which had taken TCU to double-overtime just three days prior, had shocked the Sun Devils with a belligerent zone defense and double-teams through the first 2:59 of game action.

The Sun Devils chucked up five shots, including multiple late-in-the-shot-clock 3-pointers, missing them all. A sixth attempt wasn’t released in time, resulting in a shot-clock violation.

ASU seemingly had no answer for the Warhawks. Then, the three-minute mark of the half was hit.

Second-year guard Joel Foxwell fired off his second 3-point attempt of the night. It was a shot not too dissimilar to the ones before it that didn’t work: an NBA-range three with less than four seconds remaining on the shot clock. Unlike the Sun Devils’ previous attempts, this shot was true.

Just over 9:30 later, ASU had jumped out to a 13-point lead.

Sometimes, all it takes is one shot falling.

Arizona State (4-0) rode the wave of momentum to a 47-22 first-half lead, which eventually turned into a 92-62 Friday night victory over ULM (1-4) at Desert Financial Arena. The 30-point win gave the Sun Devils three straight games with a 20-point or higher margin of victory, and the 92 points were the most the program has had since it dropped 100 on Washington State at the Maui Invitational a season ago. The win also came with personal significance for Bennett, as the 593rd of his career moved him into the top-50 all-time.

“We knew they were going to switch it up,” Foxwell admitted. “We didn’t know they were going to come out in zone straight away. It was a pretty aggressive zone. … We had really good looks, so we were really happy with how we were playing in that first five minutes. We just weren’t making shots, and we knew that was going to come.”

Postgame, head coach Randy Bennett revealed he wasn’t concerned about his team’s early start against ULM, noting that there are 40 minutes to play in a college basketball game. He felt also felt that the team’s defensive effort waned in the final 10 minutes of the game, but overall, he was pleased with the performance of his group.

“You just have to have some composure,” Bennett expressed. “We should be able to do that at this point. We probably didn’t have them well enough prepared for the changing defenses that they present, so it’s on us. We were a little stunned at the beginning, but then we got it fixed pretty quick.”

The Sun Devils kept their foot on the gas, going on a pair of 12-0 runs in the first half and a 19-3 run to start the second half, pushing their lead to 41 points.

Foxwell expressed after ASU’s 85-63 win over Hofstra on Tuesday that it wasn’t enough to merely beat teams; he wants to break them.

“It’s more fun when you see teams break,” Foxwell said. “On the floor, when they’re all arguing with each other and your guys, we’re all happy and we’re up and about. It’s more enjoyable that way. It’s more enjoyable when you can win games by large margins, and at the end of the day, staff’s going to be even more happy.”

The Sun Devils were able to build their lead through physicality, intent and execution.

ASU’s roster, which features seven players standing at 6-foot-8 or taller, towered over ULM, which only features four players at 6-foot-8 or taller. The Sun Devils used their extra length to record 48 rebounds to the Warhawks 35 and 20 offensive rebounds to their 12. The extra offensive boards led to 20 second-chance points.

“It’s really important,” fourth-year forward Paulius Murauskas remarked. “Coach is telling us every day that we have to rebound and box out, especially when we play zone. In the beginning, we didn’t hit those threes, and we needed to really crash offensive boards.”

The high-intensity effort didn’t end there for the Sun Devils, however, as they also forced 14 turnovers, which led to 25 points on the other end.

Second-year wing Dillan Shaw led the way in forcing turnovers, recording two blocks and two steals, while Murauskas made his presence known on the boards and by the basket, leading the contest in scoring and rebounding, putting up a 31-13-3 stat line.

Murauskas’ 31 points left him two shy of tying his career-high 33-point mark, which he recorded a week prior against Northern Colorado. Murauskas registered his 29th point of the night with 13:11 left in the second half, but missed four of his last five field-goal attempts, including three attempts from beyond the arc.

Despite searching for buckets near the end of regulation, Murauskas claimed that he wasn’t looking to outdo his performance against the Bears.

“He’s put himself into, in my 25 years, in the elite category group,” Bennett said. “As far as a four, best one I’ve coached.”

Murauskas and ASU’s dominance could soon be reinforced by the return of fourth-year wing Emmanuel Innocenti and the debut of fourth-year Venezuelan forward Jonathan Griman.

Innocenti was one of Bennett’s starters in the Sun Devils opening-night win over East Tennessee State, but exited the game in the first half with a left ankle sprain. Bennett expressed optimism on Tuesday that Innocenti could be available Friday, but ultimately, the Gonzaga transfer watched from the bench.

Griman’s case is different. The 6-foot-11 big man had to sue the NCAA for eligibility ahead of the season, and although he was granted an injunction to play, he hasn’t been able to practice with the team due to back spasms. Bennett told the media that he expects Griman to participate in the Sun Devils next practice.

Griman figures to inherit a bench role, while Innocenti could be in line to re-enter the starting lineup. It’s not a promise, however, especially with the emergence of first-year guard JRoby Croy, who’s averaged 11.3 points per game while shooting 42.1% from beyond the arc.

“I’ll put the best ones out there,” Bennett promised.