HONOLULU — Only up by two points late in the second half against Hawaii, Arizona State’s pass-first senior point guard Moe Odum received the ball near the half-court line and deviated from his usual approach — it was time to score.
Odum weaved his way through the defense, dribbling from sideline to sideline, before circling back to the three-point line and delivering a dagger from the right wing on a heavily contested shot to give ASU their biggest lead of the night, 72-67.
Fueled by strong guard play, the Sun Devils completed a second-half comeback on the road, defeating Hawaii 83-76 at the Bankoh Arena at Stan Sherrif Center.
For Hawaii, it’s another heartbreaker against Power Four competition — it lost to Oregon 60-59 on Nov. 4. Meanwhile, for Arizona State, it’s a bounce-back victory in its first road game of the year.
Leading for over 27 minutes on Thursday night, the Rainbow Warriors looked poised to win most for most of the game.
Even surrendering their lead late, senior center Isaac Johnson — also known as the “Big fish” — sent life back into Hawaii’s home arena with a thundering slam dunk to cut the deficit to two and send the arena into a frenzy.
He led all scorers with 23 points while tacking seven rebounds, two blocks, shooting 6-for-11 from the field, and was a perfect 9-for-9 from the charity stripe.
The squad donning the maroon and gold came out sluggish, especially in the frontcourt. They were outrebounded and doubled in terms of points in paint and assists — ASU only garnered three first-half assists. Yet, they only trailed by one, 35-34.
The difference in the second half and down the stretch for ASU?
Defense.
Sparkplug senior guard Anthony “Pig” Johnson helped ignite the improved defensive effort. The former first-team All-NAIA All-American brought energy to the floor, also adding 16 points in the scoring column.
The Sun Devils contained graduate guard Dre Bullock, who was an all-tournament selection in the Rainbow Classic, offensively, limiting him to 30% from the field and only nine points.
Instead, a surprising player emerged for the Rainbow Warriors to play a key role: sophomore guard Aaron Hunkin-Claytor.
Hunkin-Claytor had one of the best games of his career, putting up 18 points, four rebounds and three assists while shooting 70% from the field.
However, his effort couldn’t stop Hurley’s squad, whose second-half cohesiveness and physicality were able to shine through despite not having freshman center Massamba Diop on the court. He remained mostly in foul trouble for the latter part of the second half.
Without their starting center, the Sun Devils’ calm and collected demeanor shone through to push it toward victory.
Arizona State benefited from a 15-4 run after Hawaii led 65-57 with 7:15 to go in the second.
ASU’s efficiency from the field, especially from beyond the 3-point line, helped catapult them to a resurgent performance in the second half. Junior guard Bryce Ford led the way for the Sun Devils, swishing a few threes to contribute to his 20 points.
Additionally, Odum tacked on all of the Sun Devils’ six second-half assists and had 15 points,
The Sun Devils will continue their road trip through paradise, as they now prepare for the Southwest Maui Invitational. Up first, they’ll face the Texas Longhorns on Monday at 9 p.m. MST at Lahaina Civic Center.
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