ASU junior point guard Frankie Collins led all players with 13 points as Arizona State defeated Texas Southern 63-52 in its home opener on Saturday afternoon.
Arizona State was able to overcome a poor shooting day with a stingy defensive effort and some timely three-point baskets late in the second half against the Tigers as they evened their record at 1-1.
After seeing their 10-point lead shrink to just two points midway through the second half, Arizona State responded with a 16-6 run - punctuated by four consecutive three-point baskets - to regain control of the contest.
Senior transfer Zane Meeks showed off his long-range touch by knocking down three-point baskets on consecutive possessions to help stabilize the Sun Devil offense. Collins, one of three Sun Devils in double-digits scoring on Saturday, followed Meeks’ lead, adding a pair of his own three-pointers to push the lead back to double digits.
Overall, the Sun Devils shot just 21-57 (36.8%) from the field against the Tigers, including 6-18 from three-point range and 15-28 from the free throw line. But their defensive tenacity forced Texas Southern into 19 turnovers, 16 of which occurred in the first half as ASU imposed a full court pressure to set the tone defensively.
“I liked our energy early in the game,” said ASU Head Coach Bobby Hurley. “It was a point of emphasis after Wednesday night’s game against Mississippi State. We allowed them to pass the ball and dribble the ball and get to whatever spots they wanted. We didn’t impose our will at all defensively in that game.
"I think we had 15 deflections at halftime and turned them over 16 times, so that was a real positive.”
While Collins paced the Sun Devil offensive attack, it was Alonzo Gaffney who helped champion the defensive effort. The forward notched four steals and three blocked shots as ASU held Texas Southern to a paltry 22-68 shooting overall.
“He was what we need him to be in that way,” said Hurley. “He got off to a good start too. Hit a couple of shots early in the game. I thought he might have carried that confidence throughout the whole game on the offensive end, but defensively, that’s why he’s such a valuable player for us - with his interchangeability on defense and ability to impact the game on that end of the floor.”
One of the major stories for ASU coming into the season was the ten newcomers to Hurley’s team. For the second time this week, Hurley used a full complement of players in his rotation as ten Sun Devils saw action against Texas Southern.
Louisville transfer Kamari Lands was a bright spot once again for ASU, adding 12 points in the win.
“He’s very even-keeled out there,” said Hurley of the sophomore. “He’s very composed. He’s a guy who can put the ball in the basket, which we obviously need. We’re breaking down his film, just wanting him to be a complete player. I’m talking about all the other areas he can help us and I think he was better in that regard tonight, relative to our last game.
“But he is going to be a guy we certainly need to put points on the board.”
Jamiya Neal, one of four Sun Devils who notched at least minutes of playing time on Saturday. Yet, teh junior still chipped in 10 points, seven rebounds, and a couple of high-flying dunks to ignite the ASU faithful in attendance.
Arizona State will next play host to UMass Lowell on Thursday at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe.
Join your fellow Sun Devil fans on our premium message board, the Devils’ Huddle, run by the longest-tenured Sun Devil sports beat writer, to discuss this article and other ASU football, basketball, and recruiting topics. Not a member yet? Sign up today and get your daily fix of Sun Devil news!
