Just as the whistle blared through Desert Financial Arena, Rob Edwards hopped back and hucked up a 25-footer that didn’t count. No matter. The swish and ensuing awe from Edwards’ NBA triple drowned out any anger over the travel call.

It was one of those nights for ASU. One the Sun Devils have only enjoyed a handful of times this season. One where every shot felt like it was going in -- even a heave through a whistle.

Through ASU’s up-and-down season, it’s tough to decide what was more surprising -- that people weren’t stupefied by Edwards knocking down a high-skill, low-percentage 3 or that it didn’t matter to anyone the shot was called off?

Credit their ball movement, credit their marksmanship, credit the roster, it all blended in on Thursday. The Sun Devils knocked off UCLA (12-10, 5-4 Pac-12), 84-66.

On the night, ASU connected on 14 of its 24 attempts from beyond the arc. Its 58-percent mark was the second-best on the season. ASU’s output from deep was significant. Who contributed to the 3-point uptick was remarkable.

For the second straight game -- going back to ASU’s 87-83 win at Washington -- coach Bobby Hurley started forwards Kimani Lawrence and Mickey Mitchell, a front-court duo who combined for zero points in 29 minutes against the Huskies.

Offensively, the pair had become liabilities for ASU. Heck, overall, the entire position had been. Add sophomore Taeshon Cherry and junior Khalid Thomas to the mix and the quartet of the Sun Devils traditional ‘4s’ were averaging a combined 12.4 points a game prior to Thursday.

At different points this season, each seemed to have a point of invisibility. At Hurley’s call, they had all gone M.I.A for stretches. The fifth-year coach sent a message by sitting Lawrence against Creighton. Before the Washington trip, Thomas had checked in for all of one minute during Pac-12 play.

In the first half against UCLA, Lawrence and Thomas drained all six of their 3-point attempts -- each canning a trio. The duo accounted for 18 of ASU’s first 31 points and managed to pass their hot hand to the rest of ASU’s roster.

How bewildering is that? Well, extremely. Lawrence knocked down his last triple three weeks ago against Utah -- he was 0-for-6 from then until Thursday. And before nailing one 3-pointer against Washington, Thomas hadn’t hit from deep since December.

“I was so hype,” Thomas said with a grin that seemed two months in the making. “Hitting that first one from (Alonzo Verge). Then I started feeling good and hit the second one from Mickey. And then I knew the third one was going in.”

Added Lawrence: “This week, leading up to the game, I’ve just been in the gym way more than I have before. Took a way different approach. I’m not holding back. I’ve been taking almost 1,000 shots a day … It really helped my confidence.”

If there’s one thing Hurley has been consistent with during his tenure in Tempe, it’s affording his players freedom. That means never telling them to not take a shot, or to turn down an open look, or maybe even to score in other ways if their 3-point tries aren’t falling.

For better and, sometimes, worse, he allows his players to figure things out on their own. Heck, his team for that matter, too. All offseason, Hurley was relentless in praising his offense. He thought ASU’s biggest weakness was its defense. It turned out to be the opposite.

And, so, as the Sun Devils slumped and slumped with shots caroming off the side of the backboard or drawing nothing but air, he was steadfast in saying things would reverse course. His roster had too many elite shooters, he argued.

Thursday is what Hurley has been talking about for so long. It’s only a surprise because it took three months before anyone saw what he was talking about.

“I’ve always felt like we were a better shooting team than we demonstrated in a lot of other games. Are we this good? I mean, that’s very strong,” Hurley said. “But multiple guys are in a good rhythm right now and playing well on the offensive end.”

Verge led all scorers with 26 (24 of which came in the second half). Rob Edwards (13) and Remy Martin (15) combined for nearly 30 points. It was an impressive shooting night for the Sun Devils in a season where there have been so many lousy ones.

And it was all spearheaded by Lawrence and Thomas’ six 3-pointers, by their 18 first-half points. In a large sense, their contributions were so drastic because, for most of the season, they have been so quiet -- their ability and confidence picked apart by the public.

They withstood it and, like their coach, always knew they could make an impact.

“I had big expectations coming into the season and so did my teammates,” Lawrence said. “At some point, my pride came into play and I just didn’t want to let anyone down. I had to find a way.”

Added Thomas, who played just three second-half minutes: “On the bench, I still keep trying to be a good teammate. Still keep cheering on the guys and going crazy. Me doing that keeps me in the game and ready to go, so whenever my number is called, I’ll be ready.”

The win moves the Sun Devils to 14-8 and 5-4 in the Pac-12, boosting them to sixth in the conference, two games out of first place. They still have a lot of work to do, in terms of both competing in the Pac-12 and making their third straight tournament.

But Thursday was a needed step.

“I’ve just been telling the team like, ‘We still have a chance. We still have a chance,’” Lawrence said. “So, we’re just making a run right now.”