Talk of a Pac-12 tournament run in Las Vegas next week exists because of performances like Arizona State put together Thursday night. Winners of five of their last six, the Sun Devils, came into their matchup, with California needing to string together more of what they showed to be capable the weekend prior.
And with another balanced scoring performance accompanied by the high-level defense, the Sun Devils did just that, looking nothing like the same team that fell by 24 points to Cal in January. In a game which Arizona State (13-16, 9-10 Pac-12) never trailed, it took until the second half before the Sun Devils pulled away for a 71-44 victory.
Second half offense for ASU has consistently been solid for the Sun Devils in recent weeks. After putting together back-to-back performances of 50-plus percent shooting in the final 20 minutes of road wins over Colorado and Utah last week, ASU did the same against Cal in its return to Tempe. In the third consecutive performance of that nature, the Sun Devils shot 64.3 percent from the floor in the second half, with 13 forced turnovers and stout half-court defense fueling transition offense.
“That was probably our best offense, especially in the first half,” Hurley said of ASU’s cognizant effort to run off of Cal misses, citing the Golden Bears’ pace (they rank 330th in adjusted tempo) as something ASU wanted to avoid. “We didn’t want to get into a half-court game with them because it would’ve been really, really slow. If we could speed it up a touch yet still move the ball and take good shots, then it was going to be in our favor. Committing to that was important because once we got it to 16, 18, 20 -- with just the style they play, it makes it more difficult for them to realistically get back into the game.”
Sophomore guard DJ Horne, who returned to the starting lineup after missing the Utah game due to a stomach bug, led the Sun Devils in scoring with 13 points. In all, five Sun Devils scored in double figures as ASU’s trio of transfer guards continued their run of solid play.
Arizona State’s consistent defensive presence made California uncomfortable from the beginning of Thursday night’s contest on. As the pieces have come into place for the Sun Devils, a switchable ASU roster found itself causing trouble for the Golden Bears on the offensive end. Forcing contested jumpers time after time in the second half, ASU grabbed rebounds and pushed the tempo against Cal.
“We just kept pushing, and I thought our activity was very good to force some turnovers,” said Hurley after sophomore guard Jay Heath (2), redshirt junior Luther Muhammad (2), and super senior Marreon Jackson (3) combined for seven steals.
That initiative from the Sun Devils was apparent early. On the second defensive possession of the night for ASU, Heath grabbed a Golden Bear miss and went coast-to-coast for a layup. Super senior forward Kimani Lawrence did the same on the ensuing Cal possession to open up a 6-0 lead and set the tone for ASU.
“We knew what their game plan was going to be,” said Lawrence, who produced 12 points and nine rebounds. “We’ve got bigs and wings, and guys at different positions that are athletic and that can run, so just putting pressure on their defense and getting on the break just takes pressure off of our offense. It creates easy buckets; it’s fun to play and fun to watch.”
Despite leading by just six at the halftime break, Arizona State’s second-half surge saw the Sun Devils take control in the second half for a 40-19 advantage. Heath continued his strong play as of late and produced his third straight game with double figures scoring. With Jackson showcasing the playmaking skills that earned him 2021 MAC Player of the Year honors, redshirt junior forward Alonzo Gaffney scored 11 points, with the final two coming on an alley-oop feed from the Toledo transfer.
“Just going out there with a lot more energy,” Gaffney said of his key to success. “My teammates have been on me; coaches have been on me to go out there, run around, jump around and get loose balls.”
With five scorers surpassing double figures -- while Cal had only one reach that mark -- ASU continues to play with confidence and great energy.
“We knew that they were going to be tough, and they played hard -- especially in the first half,” said Hurley following a 53.6 percent shooting night for ASU. “I think we just had a little more firepower on offense, and we had 30 field goals in the game, which is a lot based on the number of possessions. For us to shoot the number we shot shows we’re playing better at that end of the floor, and that’s been the difference.”
Arizona State’s 44 points allowed are the fewest allowed in a Pac-12 game under Bobby Hurley and the least the Sun Devils as a program have allowed since they held Cal to 44 in January 2015. Despite a huge hole entering Pac-12 play, the Sun Devils will enter Saturday’s Senior Day contest with Stanford with a chance to finish at .500 in league play.
“A lot of people have talked about that,” said Hurley of the conference seeding scenarios at play as the weekend rolls on. “When you look at those top three, so you avoid Arizona, but you’re playing USC or UCLA? We’ll see how it shakes out. I just focus on our team and how we’re playing and getting them ready to play.”
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