With its regular season opener just eight days away, ASU cruised to a 98-53 win over UC Santa Cruz in an exhibition game on Thursday night at Wells Fargo Arena.
UC Santa Cruz led 12-4 early, but ASU quickly shed the slow start with a 19-5 run leading into the second official timeout, and a 17-2 run near the end of the half to take control.
Head coach Bobby Hurley said he was not enthusiastic about his team’s play in the first eight minutes, noting that sluggish stretches like that can be fatal during games. However, he also said he was not worried about the offense because his team did not run much of what it had practiced, and mentioned he felt the group would play more efficiently at that end when the season really starts.
ASU led from the 15:14 mark in the first half until the final buzzer.
“It was a good starting point for guys who haven’t played in a while or are incoming freshmen,” he said. “This is a good dress rehearsal before we start for real next week.”
The exhibition provided the public with its first look at the team’s probable starting five, which on Thursday were junior Tra Holder (15 points, 4 rebounds), freshman Sam Cunliffe, junior Shannon Evans, junior Kodi Justice and senior Obinna Oleka.
It modeled the expected small-ball lineup ASU may need to use for most of the season as its frontcourt depth has been thinned with forward Vitaliy Shibel tearing his ACL and forward Romello White being ruled an academic redshirt earlier in the fall. The 6-foot-7 Oleka (18 points, 6 rebounds) was the tallest starter, but Hurley credited the contribution of 6-foot-10 freshman big man Jethro Tshisumpa, who had four points, four rebounds, and a block.
Highly-anticipated freshman Sam Cunliffe narrowly missed a double-double, scoring 15 points on a 7-of-10 clip with nine rebounds.
“I’ve been talking to him about trying to (rebound),” Hurley said. “it’s going to be something I need from him because of his athleticism and strength because I know he can put it on the floor and score the ball, so he did a nice job of that at times also.”
After sitting out last year due to transfer rules, senior guard Torian Graham led the Sun Devils with 23 points off the bench on 9-of-16 shooting and 5-of-10 from three-point range to go along with three rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
Hurley said Graham did not start well on the offensive end but ignited the team with his defensive effort until he heated up with two consecutive threes to end the half, and continued the hot shooting in the second half.
“He’s been playing both ends at a high level so I know what he’s capable of,” he said. “I think he could have even played a better offensive game. He can really shoot it. He’s been shooting that way for most of the preseason.”
Graham said he felt jitters at the beginning of the game, pinning his slow start on rushing too much. Once the coaches told him to slow down, his play improved.
He said he looked at himself in the mirror while he was away from basketball and focused on the things he needed to do to be successful. He also credited Hurley for being a mentor ever since the two were in Buffalo together.
“It’s been very humbling because in high school I started highly ranked nationally in the country, had a couple downfalls, had to start back over and basically build myself back up,” Graham said. “The experience has been me really being dedicated to being successful and I had to make sacrifices on and off the court to get myself back.”
Junior Shannon Evans — another player who followed Hurley from Buffalo to Tempe — scored just eight points on 3-of-12 shooting, but Hurley said he was not concerned because he knows Evans’ potential exceeds his performance in the exhibition.
“It felt kind of weird just being in front of a crowd during a real game,” Evans said. “I was a little rusty, but I’m trying to get back for next Friday.”
ASU mixed in the 2-3 zone for scattered possessions on defense, but Hurley said he expects man-to-man to be the team’s primary defense. He noted utilizing the zone will depend on the opponent and the flow of the game to that point.
The Sun Devils now enter their final week of practice before the Nov. 11 season opener against Portland State at Wells Fargo Arena, which official starts Hurley’s second year with the program.
“I think we’re going to shock a lot of people honestly,” Graham said.
Added Evans: “We’re trying to change the culture around here.”
