TEMPE – Sunday’s game between Arizona State (2-0) and Utah Tech (2-2) began slowly, with a flurry of back-and-forth empty possessions, as neither team managed to make a dent on the scoreboard early.
ASU freshman center Massamba Diop broke the trend in emphatic fashion.
After a dribble move so smooth it left a Utah Tech defender off balance, he stepped back beyond the arc and drained a three-pointer. That basket gave ASU its first points — and set the tone for the afternoon to come.
Diop didn’t stop there, finishing with 18 points and leading the Sun Devils to an 81-66 victory at Desert Financial Arena on Sunday.
Sophomore guard Santiago Trouet, who finished the game with a double-double, praised his teammate afterward.
“He’s just a nice person overall,” Trouet said, “He doesn’t even speak the language very well. You can tell he wants to be here; he likes us and likes the team.”
With just two returners from last year, coach Bobby Hurley’s squad is still finding its footing. Diop, however, has meshed effortlessly and has shown why he’ll be a key piece for the Sun Devils this season
“I think he’s more of a force around the basket and with his athletic ability, his footwork,” Hurley said following the game. “Even his passing, his passing is very underrated, his future is, it’s scary. Special chance to be really, really good.”
With Diop playing a big role in the Sun Devils’ second win of the season, senior guard Moe Odum was also a pivotal piece in ASU’s winning puzzle on Sunday afternoon, finishing with 14 points.
“I think what Moe does, and has done since Day 1, is establish a desire to pass (and) a desire to make his teammates better,” Hurley said. “If you’re starting with that at the point guard spot, it kind of is infectious amongst you.”
The Maroon and Gold got off to a fast start, surging to a 22-14 lead over the Trailblazers halfway through the first half. This lead continued leading up to halftime, with the Sun Devils going to the break up 39-25.
ASU’s defense proved to be a major factor throughout the afternoon. After surrendering 40 points in the paint during their season opener, the Sun Devils held the Trailblazers to just 22 inside.
“Coach got on us about that, and we got back to the drawing board,” Odum said. He emphasized (it) in practice, and I feel like we executed today on the defense side.”
The second half played out much the same, with ASU continuing to assert control and putting up 41 points to secure its second win of the season over Utah Tech.
“I was pretty pleased with how we played for the most part,” Hurley said. “We addressed some issues (and) concerns I had after the last game. Our aggression level was better.”
The Maroon and Gold have a tall task ahead of them against No. 21 Gonzaga on Friday at 9 p.m. MST at Desert Financial Arena.
“It’s definitely a confidence booster,” Odum said. “(To) see what we did good, see what we did badly, clean up the bad, and just hopefully coming into Gonzaga with that confidence.”
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