PHOENIX — Under the bright lights of an NBA/WNBA stadium, Arizona State had the chance to make a statement on Saturday night. And, on the back of a solid performance in the Maui Invitational, it didn’t miss on this opportunity — quite literally.
Playing in the annual Jerry Colangelo Classic at Mortgage Matchup Center — the home of the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury — the Sun Devils (7-2) recorded their season-high in 3-pointers against Oklahoma (6-3). The team netted 13 shots from beyond the arc as Bobby Hurley’s squad cruised to an 86-70 victory.
ASU also notched its highest 3-point percentage of the season (54%). Sparky’s previous season-highs came twice in the Maui Invitational, where it shot 50% (9-for-18) against Texas and 47.8% (11-for-23) against Washington State.
The other time the team made double-digit 3-pointers this season came in the third game of its campaign against then-No. 19 Gonzaga, where ASU tallied 10.
“Sometimes if you concentrate on defending and playing hard and rebounding, then all (of) a sudden, the shot just becomes a natural thing to do,” Hurley said after the game. “It becomes second nature. I thought we played harder.
“I respect their (Oklahoma’s) coaching staff and their program. I thought we outworked them today. And because we did that, we were rewarded. We had quality shots that the guys made.”
ASU went 7-for-10 from behind the 3-point line in the first half. Oklahoma, meanwhile, only drilled three triples after the first 20 minutes.
A trio of Sun Devils each posted three 3-pointers on the night: senior guard Moe Odum led the team in points (17) while redshirt sophomore forward Marcus Adams Jr. bagged nine of his 11 points from the 3-point line.
Junior forward Andrija Grbović logged his season-high in points (11). Like Adams Jr., nine of the Montenegrin’s 11 points came from the 3-point line, which included two consecutive shots at the start of the half to give ASU a 25-point advantage.
The Maroon and Gold shot 47% in field goals in the game, a stark contrast to Oklahoma’s 35%. The Sun Devils also held the Sooners to just 28% (10-36) from 3-pointers.
“It was kind of a clinic on offense,” Hurley said. “I thought our shot-stopping, our execution, scoring in transition. It all started with our mentality and our mindset of defense to rebound and get stops.”
Hurley’s squad returns to Desert Financial Arena on Tuesday for a midweek clash against Northern Arizona at 7 p.m. MST.
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