In a disappointing offensive performance, the Sun Devils looked elsewhere to squeak out a 55-48 win against Idaho State. They found that in their defense, holding the Bengals to just 25% from the field and 14% from three-point range. With the Sun Devils shooting just 36% from the field themselves, this provided major help when they couldn’t seem to hit their shots, leading to the 55-48 victory.
After shooting just 28% in an exhibition match with Duke, head coach Bobby Hurley expected his players to bounce back with a much better offensive output. While the offense looked solid in the first half, posting 31 points on 48% shooting from the field, it all came tumbling down in the second half, with that conversion rate dropping to 26%.
The defensive effort was fairly consistent over 40 minutes, but the Sun Devils couldn’t keep the Bengals off the glass and end possessions, allowing 16 offensive rebounds and 12 second-chance points. If Idaho State is getting that many extra cracks at the basket, Hurley feels that this can signal bad news for the rest of the season.
“We guarded with energy at times, but we didn’t rebound,” Hurley said. “If that team got 16 offensive rebounds, some of our other opponents, as we start hitting the harder part of our schedule, are going to get a billion. And that's our effort and desire to rebound, and there’s still a lot to get better on.”
Freshman forward Jayden Quaintance is the highest-rated recruit ever to play for Hurley, but his offensive output wasn’t there in the season opener. He finished with two points off of free throws and missed all six shot attempts. He was able to make an impact with his defensive presence, blocking six shots and altering plenty more shots. With him and junior center Shawn Phillips Jr. roaming the paint, teams will find it difficult to penetrate inside the Sun Devils defense.
“He was lost out there on offense,” Hurley mentioned. “We gotta point him in the right direction. He had an impact not only on the blocks but also on challenging shots with his wingspan and his ability to get off his feet. So he was out there altering shots even if he wasn’t blocking them, so that was a positive for him tonight.”
Following the loss at Duke, the team wanted to focus on playing collectively, especially on defense. Tonight, the defense showed signs of improvement, but the offense has yet to follow. Senior guard Alston Mason spoke on how the defense is slowly starting to figure it out, and a game like this on the defensive side is one to look back on.
“It’s very important,” Mason noted. “After the Duke game, we made an emphasis on being connected on defense and playing together a lot more. So we’re working on it, we still have some things to tweak, but it’s going to be better soon.”
Senior guard BJ Freeman was tied for the most rebounds on the team, recording eight of the team’s 44. Like Hurley previously stated, the team’s effort on the glass was not up to par, but better than their exhibition game. A lot of these factors that need improvement will come with time, and having so 12 new players on the roster will certainly need some time to begin clicking.
“It was a lot better, but it still needs improvement,” Freeman mentioned. “With offensive rebounding, Coach Hurley stayed on us about that and then chewed us up. So we just have to be there in the gaps helping each other on the help side, and talking is what’s going to help us win.”
Although the final stat sheet showed a lackluster offensive game, there were still moments and runs in the game that flashed the offense's potential. Once the shots start falling, the players will begin to play not only better individually but also as a collective unit. Practice this week before heading up to Santa Clara will test that to see how much tonight affected their belief in their shot-making ability.
“We just need everybody to get their confidence back,” Freeman expressed. “Once we get everyone on the same page, everything else is going to come. Once people see shots go down, and we’re talking, and we’re down on the floor playing hard, it’s going to be an exciting brand of basketball for ASU.”
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