Just looking at the starting lineups, Arizona State men’s basketball appeared to have a tall task on their hands, literally and figuratively.
The Sun Devils’ opponent, No. 21 Washington State had one of the tallest lineups the Maroon and Gold has seen this season. They started four forwards, with all of them standing at six feet eight inches tall or higher.
On the other hand, the hosts stuck with their customary setup: four guards and one forward.
Nonetheless, Arizona State rose to the challenge. With a combination of sheer physicality and deft finishes, the Sun Devils upset the Cougars 73-61 on Saturday evening at Desert Financial Arena.
“We did a lot of things you have to do to beat a team that’s very deservingly a Top 25 team, and on top of the standings in the Pac-12,” Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley said.
Both sides registered 35 rebounds, and the Sun Devils shot better from the field than their opponent. The Maroon and Gold went 29-for-59 and 6-for-14 from beyond the arc, while the Cougars went 24-for-61 and 3-for-18 on triple attempts.
Arizona State set the physical tone early. They forced five Washington State turnovers in the first five minutes. That defensive command continued throughout the game, with steals and blocks increasing as the game progressed.
“Coach has been talking about that a lot,” junior forward Bryant Selebangue said about the fast start. “The first four minutes of each half making sure we come out early, come out with energy. That’s something that we’ve been capitalizing [on] more.”
While Selebangue did not hit double digits, his presence in the paint helped the Sun Devils get to the basket in the first half. The Quebecer, who is six feet and eight inches tall, notched nine points and led the team with seven rebounds.
Another tall bench player that matched up, and shined against the Cougars’ defense was graduate forward Alonzo Gaffney. After a few games of subpar production, he returned to double digits for the first time in three weeks. The Cleveland native posted 11 points and six rebounds. One of his second half doubles, a reverse layup to draw the foul after a previous miss, pleased the crowd and his coach.
“That symbolized why we were good tonight, because he didn’t give up on the play” Hurley said. “He took the ball away from them and laid the ball in. So, that was a key moment.”
Graduate guard Jose Perez burrowed his way to the bucket. Similar to Thursday’s game against Washington, he saw many trips to the line. On Saturday evening, he went 7-for-8 on his free throw attempts, leading the team with 16 points.
“It’s taking what the defense gives you,” Perez said on his drives. “If I feel like if I have a one on one matchup, it’s a nightmare. But if you bring two, I’m probably going to dice you up…Just depends on the opponent as well.”
The back court also delivered, especially in the second half. Junior guard Frankie Collins had 14 points, reaching double digits for the seventh time in the past eight games. Redshirt junior guard Adam Miller notched 12 points. The LSU transfer hit his shots late. This included a corner triple as the shot clock expired to give Arizona State a 12 point lead with less than two minutes remaining.
Collins and Miller’s plays electrified the 9,586 fans in attendance. The third-largest home crowd this season provided a strong advantage for the Sun Devils, especially after the team’s recent struggles.
“The crowd was unbelievable,” Hurley said. “The crowd has every reason [to not show up] because we didn’t get the job done on Thursday and obviously even the Arizona game to start saying ‘you know what, it’s nice out today, it’s sunny. I’m gonna go for a hike, I’m gonna go play golf, I’m gonna go get an early dinner’…But they chose to support our guys.”
The tall tasks continue for Arizona State (14-14, 8-9 in Pac-12) on Wednesday as they face its in-state rival Arizona (21-6, 12-4 in Pac-12) at 8 p.m. MST. The Sun Devils may have lost by 45 to the Wildcats last weekend. But they just beat a ranked side that stunned the team from Tucson on Thursday night.
“If we’re gonna have success the rest of the way, we’re not gonna do it with one guy,” Hurley said. “Any time we seem to win, there’s four [or] five guys in double figures. We need that type of production…We have that many guys playing well at that end of the floor, it really gets everyone energized. I think we played better at both ends.”
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