If Tuesday night was a prize fight, Arizona State men’s basketball did exactly what each boxer aspires to do against a superior opponent – strike the first blow, and be ready for the counterpunch.
They just weren’t able to hang in for enough rounds.
ASU (6-6) rallied out to a hot start and used their scrappy play to hang in tough with No. 9 Creighton (12-0), but were simply overmatched in a 96-85 loss in front of 6,793 fans – mostly rocking Creighton blue – at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe.
Even in yet another loss, Tuesday’s loss provided a blueprint for ASU coach Bobby Hurley and an image of what he expects from his team as they near Pac-12 play.
“It’s a results game and no moral victories and all that, but you respect your players as competitors. This was a fast-paced game, Creighton pushes the ball, they have threats in transition. These guys expended a lot of energy chasing the guys around the court. We didn’t sit in a zone and let guys rest. We scrambled, we fought, we pressed, and the five guys we started all played over 30 minutes and they all had something left in the tank late. That was exciting to see.”
The Sun Devils, reeling off a disappointing home loss to New Mexico State on Saturday, quickly responded with an energetic and frenetic opening few minutes. On one play, junior guard Shannon Evans II lofted a perfect fastbreak lob for an emphatic alley-oop finish from Obinna Oleka. On another, junior Tra Holder barreled his 6-foot-1 frame for a layup through contact and responded with a 3-pointer.
ASU jumped out to a 9-0 lead, hitting five of its first seven shots and holding the advantage until Creighton found its outside shooting game.
It was the first punch.
Creighton guard Isaiah Zierden and forward Toby Hegner sparked a rally, combining to hit their first five 3-pointers to power the Bluejays to their first lead.
Counterpunch.
The guard-forward combination of Marcus Foster and Justin Patton welcomed themselves into the game, demonstrating much of the balance that has made Creighton one of the most balanced offensive teams in the country.
Foster finished with a game-high 29 points on 10-for-18 shooting, constantly emerging as a pest in the paint and serving to drive-and-kick just about every possession. Patton – a potential NBA prospect – used his size inside to his advantage and was also able to kick it outside for a 3-pointer of his own.
Strong defensive interior play and great dribble penetration from Holder and Evans allowed the Sun Devils to hang in through the blow, as they would again take the lead on a Holder 3-pointer.
It was after that flurry of punches that ASU’s weaknesses exposed themselves. Creighton again responded with a barrage of 3s, going on an 11-5 run to end the half.
The Bluejays would hit eight of their 16 3-point attempts in the first half, finishing the game an impressively efficient 14-for-25 for behind the arc. In contrast ASU – which has often had to rely on outside shots – went 7-for-25.
“They have a lot of shooters,” Hurley said. “There were some times where we did possibly lose a couple of guys with some of their set plays, but they put an enormous amount of pressure on you…they just outshot us from the 3-point line and that was the difference in the game.
“It seems like that’s been our nemesis when we haven’t had a good percentage from behind the 3-point line. Hopefully, we can get that figured out on a more consistent basis.”
Coming out of the break, ASU looked gassed.
“We kind of came out a little stagnant and were a little tired to start off,” Justice said. “We kind of picked it back up, but they made quite a few 3[-pointers] to get going right there and we kind of were behind quick. But we never gave up.”
Much was asked of the starters, who each played more than 30 minutes as the team had nine scholarship players suit up. Creighton’s depth showed, outscoring ASU’s bench 25-4.
Even as the Sun Devils struggled from the floor and to cover the balanced Creighton attack, they managed to generate some stellar individual performances. Holder and senior Torian Graham each finished with 24 points, with Holder tacking on seven rebounds and five assists. Oleka had yet another double-double, this time finishing with 19 points and 16 boards.
They just weren’t as talented.
The lead quickly grew to double digits, then to 20. With the end result about sealed at that point, Hurley looked for something different in his team and something that great boxers must all have – the effort to finish.
Behind a rejuvenated crowd, a pressing defense and some extra efforts, the Sun Devils thrice cut the lead to within 10 points. It was all they could muster.
“That was a point where you learn a lot about the character [of your team] and if they’re responding appropriately,” Hurley said. “The answer was yes. I had a lot of respect for how the team was competing, diving for loose balls, scrambling to try to create turnovers so we can try to stay in the game and keep pushing forward in the game… If we can play that way consistently through the rest of the season, we’ll have some success.”
ASU will have one more chance to prove themselves before conference play, hosting Central Arkansas at home on Thursday. Tip-off is expected for 1 p.m. local time.
