The Sun Devils improved to 7-1 on the season after handing St. Mary’s (7-1) its first loss of the season in a 68-64 victory to win the Acrisure Classic in Palm Springs. This was the fourth non-conference tournament won by head coach Bobby Hurley during his time at ASU and was a game where every bucket was earned and a contest where the Sun Devils proved they could win both high-scoring affairs and defensive battles like the one on Friday night.
Joson Sanon and Jayden Quaintance making their case for the top freshman duo in the country
The expectations were already sky-high for Hurley and the Sun Devils after Hurley brought in the highest-ranked recruiting class ever in his career at ASU, and the duo of Sanon and Quaintance are justifying the accolades they arrived with. Guard Joson Sanon won the tournament MVP after scoring 19 points in each of his team’s wins at the Acrisure Classic.
Hurley continues to bring Sanon off the bench, and it has proven to be a personnel approach that has led to one win after another so far. In a game where the Sun Devils struggled to connect from beyond the arc, going 5-18, Sanon went 3-5 from long range. He’s started to develop a signature shot, getting a screen at the top of the key, which provides just enough space for him to pull up off the dribble and drain a three. The elevation on his jump shot has been proven to be one his biggest assets that has allowed him to be a bona fide sniper on the court.
His teammate forward Jayden Quaintance has continued to impress in his own right, leading the country with 27 blocks after adding two more swats tonight. While his defense has been evident throughout the season, posting three steals tonight, he developed even more on the offensive side, finishing not only with 10 points but also dishing five of ASU’s 10 assists and registering four offensive rebounds out of his nine total caroms.
When he receives the ball down low, he draws several defenders and distributes it all over the court. He also turns defense into offense, using his length to poke the ball away from ball handlers and throw the ball up court to get points in transition. The 17-year-old is continuing to prove he not only belongs on the court with everyone else but can also dominate any given matchup.
“I try to be versatile and win the game in as many ways as possible,” Quaintance said. “We prove every night that we’re competitors and we can win close games, so I’m glad to see we can stick together in tough games.”
Second-half defense keeps ASU in the game
With the offense struggling at times, the Sun Devils turned to their defense to keep the game within striking distance. Similar to their win against New Mexico on Thursday, the Sun Devils chipped away at the lead. In the first 10 minutes of the second half, ASU held St. Mary’s to 18% shooting from the field while making 54% of their shots at the same time.
The game was a classic back-and-forth affair in the second half, with neither team leading by more than four points after the Sun Devils brought down the Gaels’ first-half lead from nine to two before halftime. The last 20 minutes of this contest saw five ties and seven lead changes. ASU forced 13 turnovers, resulting in 10 points scored off of them. With the team failing to score more than 80 points for the first time since the opening game of the season, this was a matchup where the Sun Devils effectively relied on its defense to prevail over its opponent.
“It was a different style of game,” Hurley noted. “We’re very versatile in different ways that we can win, and I think we showed that tonight. It was a very defense-oriented game; we hung in there, and I thought we showed a lot of toughness.”
ASU battled through St. Mary’s physical defense
Sticking with defense, St. Mary’s has built an identity on its lockdown defense, allowing just 61 points per game this season to opposing offenses. The Sun Devils were well aware of the potent defense they would face tonight and fought tooth and nail for every basket. After attempting 32 free throws against New Mexico, they only shot 12 tonight, making seven of them.
St. Mary’s didn’t get to the line often either, going just 6 of 12 from the line as the referees allowed plenty of contact in this game. This allowed the Sun Devils to match St. Mary’s intensity on defense, resulting in five blocks for the Sun Devils.
“We had to be more intense and physical than the other team,” Sanon recognized. “That’s a physical team, so Coach Hurley told us to be more physical and have more of a sense of urgency than them. We switch everything in practice, so I’m used to playing against a bigger defender. We play hard in practice, and it translates to the game.”
Domination in the paint
Although St. Mary’s had the length advantage over ASU, the Sun Devils held down the paint, outscoring the Gaels 38-22. Quaintance instilled fear in any player who drove toward him, and everyone on the Sun Devils drove down the lane at the other end of the court, so ASU was able to play most of the game downhill even when the pace slowed down.
The Sun Devils also crashed the offensive glass, coming up with eight, as senior guard BJ Freeman was active on the boards, finishing with eight rebounds. He was one of the main players who got in the paint often in the game, finishing second on the team with 11 points. If the Sun Devils can continue to establish their presence in the paint like they have recently, they’ll continue to control the pace of the game.
“We have a lot of guys that can attack,” Hurley mentioned. “We can do it in the open court with our guards. BJ (Freeman) made some big baskets for us and Jayden was huge with that finish late in the game. We also got some guys that can shoot, so we’re dangerous to play against.”
Hot start to the season with multiple quality wins
The Sun Devils are 7-1 for the first time since going 11-1 in 2022-2023, when they finished the season 23-13, making the NCAA tournament before losing to TCU in the first round. The main difference between the two teams is that through the first eight games, the Sun Devils scored more than 80 points in just three of the games, as opposed to six times through eight games this year.
The 2022-2023 team was much more defensive-oriented than this year’s team, but the Sun Devils also have a better combination of offense and defense. The freshmen duo of Sanon and Quaintance are perfect complements, with Sanon making a significant mark in the scoring column and Quaintance anchoring the defense.
St. Mary’s is a Quad 1 win for the Sun Devils, and there is a good chance they could enter next week’s contest on Tuesday at home against San Diego, ranked in the top 25. The Sun Devils add another comeback win to the season, their second straight and the 46th overall for ASU under Hurley. After getting blown out 103-47 in an exhibition match by Duke less than a week before a disappointing season opener win against Idaho State, the Sun Devils have flipped the narrative in the first month of the season and now beating three teams that were in the 2024 NCAA tournament.
