UNCASVILLE, Conn. -- junior guard Remy Martin had an atrocious first half in ASU’s (3-1) neutral-site contest against the St. John’s Red Storm (4-2), committing more turnovers (3) than points scored (2).

However, with the Sun Devils trailing by nine at the break, the 6’0’’ native of southern California evidently channeled that potent competitive fire inside of him, posting 17 points leading an 80-67 comeback victory for ASU’s third consecutive win.

“I just wanted to win,” Martin stated. “I think that me being more vocal and having more energy and scoring the ball and making the right plays was the best way to do that. I think I also need to do better putting two halves together, but at the end of the day I got through adversity with the help of my teammates and coach (Bobby Hurley), and they push me to lead this team.”

After shooting 0-for-6 from the field with no assists in the first 20 minutes, Martin scored 17 second-half points on 6-for-9 shooting from the field, also going 4-for-4 on free throws. At one point, between the 17:07-14:00 marks of the second half, Martin scored 13 straight points for ASU, which flipped the score from a 42-33 deficit to a 46-44 lead.

“He’s a good player, you’re not going to hold a good player down for 40 minutes,” first-year Red Storm coach Mike Anderson said. “That was the goal…I think he hit a three-pointer, then all of a sudden you could just see he got charged up. Good basketball player and they did a good job of distributing it to other people too.”

What the Sun Devils also did a good job of was feeding off of Martin’s energetic burst. In the six or so minutes following the last bucket of his 13-point run, ASU outscored the Red Storm 16-8, getting points from five different players in that stretch (including another two from Martin), to get its first double-digit lead of the game; 62-52 with 8:07 remaining.

That means the Sun Devils caused a 19-point swing between the 17:39-7:50 marks of the second half. Talk about a dangerous ability to score, all without the team’s fourth-leading scorer in junior guard Alonzo Verge Jr, mind you.

“They were the aggressor in the first half, and their pressure affected us more than our pressure did,” Hurley admitted. “With our ball pressure, when Remy’s locked in on it and (freshman guard Jaelen) House is, we have some guys that can get after it on the perimeter. And I liked what Romello White and Jalen Graham did around the basket with some blocks, just being active around the basket.”

Adding to what Hurley said, White and Graham proved to be valuable post presences throughout the contest, even though they had stretches, mostly in the first half, where the Red Storm’s big men had their way down low.

White finished the contest with 15 points, seven in the second half, on a perfect 6-for-6 from the field plus 3-for-5 foul shooting, and added nine rebounds as well. Most impressively, he was not whistled for a single foul in the entire 40 minutes.

As for Graham, while he scored all four of his points and got three of his four rebounds in the first half, he proved a valuable rim protector in the second, getting four blocks and only being called for one foul in his seven minutes of action during that span.

Overall, the Sun Devils finished with five players in double figures, compared to three for St. John’s. The effort was led by Martin’s game-high 19 points, and behind him was White with 15, senior guard Rob Edwards with 13 (nine in the second half, also finished with seven rebounds), House with 11 (also added six rebounds, had team-highs with three assists and three steals) and then sophomore guard Elias Valtonen with 10.

“Elias, I thought was just a really good all-around player, made some really good plays for us,” Hurley commented. “The block he had in transition I thought was a key defensive play as we were expanding our lead.”

In yet another game that showcased the resolve and depth of this Sun Devil team, the biggest story that will get lost in the mix was Valtonen’s career day.

With Verge Jr. absent, he fully embraced the challenge of being that third presence behind Martin and House on both ends of the floor. He tallied two rebounds, two assists and, surprisingly, only one steal, given how omnipresent he was in the team’s increased pressure on the ball defensively, something that’s quickly becoming a staple of this particular team.

Valtonen’s 10 points were a career-high, and serve as a show of how far the former four-star recruit has progressed since his freshman campaign last year, where he scored 16 points the whole season as more of a depth piece for the Sun Devils.

“Just everything; feel for the game, defense,” Valtonen commented on the areas of his game he’s felt like he’s improved the most. “I think this Summer I really got a lot better.”

While Valtonen’s break-out game of his Sun Devil career is just one of many reasons ASU will leave the arena with a good taste in their mouth today, the team knows its biggest challenge of probably this entire season awaits in a short 24 hours when they face the No. 7 Virginia Cavaliers.

“We’re going to have to make shots, we can’t afford to leave—if we shoot early, we better make it because they’re going to make you pay,” Hurley said. “They’re one of the best defensive teams in the country, and their pace of play—it’ll be a real contrast tomorrow in style.

“You go into the game and you play your style, you try and be who you are. I’m sure that we’re going to have to play late shot-clock defense tomorrow. It’s not like we’re going to rattle them and force them into shooting quick, and they’re very disciplined and they have a successful plan that’s worked.”

The Cavaliers plan has worked so well in 2019 that the last time they lost a game was March 15, a 69-59 loss to Florida State in the ACC tournament semifinal. The defending national champions are on an 11-game winning streak, which obviously dates back to last season.

The Sun Devils will look to end that streak when they face the Cavaliers tomorrow at 11 a.m. Arizona time on ESPN. For ASU, they will try to win an in-season tournament during Thanksgiving week for the third straight year.