(Photo: Eliav Gabay/WCSN)
It was raining in Wells Fargo Arena Saturday night, but what fell was not water but three-pointers. The Arizona State Sun Devils hit 18 of 36 from behind the arc, tying a school record for most made treys, en route to a 97-73 win over the UNLV Running Rebels.
The early part of the game was suboptimal for both sides. ASU missed three of its first four shots and UNLV had five traveling violations called against them in the first few minutes of Saturday’s contest.
Then, the three-point parade got started.
To say Arizona State was gunning from three in the first half would be a gross understatement of what actually transpired in the first 20 minutes. ASU did not make a two-point field goal until freshman Sam Cunliffe hit a pull-up jumper at the 9:20 mark. Prior to that, ASU was shooting a blistering 8-13 from deep.
Senior guard Torian Graham unsurprisingly led the attack from behind the arc, making three of ASU’s first four field goals, all from deep. Graham cooled off somewhat after that, but came back to life with a couple more wild prayers in the second half. He ended with 22 points on 8-15 shooting.
The Sun Devils looked to have the Rebels on the ropes in the first half, but UNLV tried hard to continue to execute and remain in the game. A few short spurts helped the Rebels get within a reasonable distance, and a three followed by two free throws from sophomore guard Jalen Poyser brought UNLV to within five at the 4:15 mark.
One part of ASU’s strategy was going with an extremely small lineup of five traditional guards. For a brief stretch midway through the first half, ASU had Graham, Cunliffe, Shannon Evans, Kodi Justice and Tra Holder on the floor together, with Cunliffe running the five.
The sheer reality of math tipped the game in favor of ASU. Though they shot a wild volume from three, the extra point on each made shot helped them head into the half with a 51-32 lead.
Despite the big lead, it certainly seemed like ASU was moving too quickly and settling for the tougher looks, to coach Bobby Hurley’s disdain. ASU’s average time per possession was 15 seconds in the first half, which is only half the shot clock.
The second half was a bit of a change of pace for a while. ASU did not make a three for the first six minutes of the second half, but Graham broke that streak by hitting his fifth of the game. After the break, ASU shot 5-14 from deep, going back towards the drive-and-kick style they tend to favor.
ASU’s offense was relentlessly energetic in the second half. The Rebels had eight fouls within the first nine minutes of the second and finished with 15. ASU made 15 of 20 free throws.
Foul trouble also became a major problem for the Sun Devils as well. Late in the first half, Holder tallied his third foul, putting ASU in risky territory, and Evans also got to three early in the second.
Neither one eventually fouled out, as Evans led the team with 28 points, the most by any Devil in Hurley’s year and change at the helm. Holder finished with 20.
Another player who had a strong outing was freshman big man Jethro Tshisumpa. He had two points and two powerful blocks in seven minutes of action. The young big has been brought along slowly, but looked good in zone defense matchups and made a couple key plays. He fouled out with 7:50 left in regulation, but surely made some noise.
The Devils just about put the game to rest after hitting seven of eight shots between the 14 and 10 minute marks of the second half, culminating in a 25-point lead. From there, ASU generally maintained control and breezed by until the final buzzer.
The win for the Sun Devils (5-3) gives them a pad to their schedule with a tough December ahead. They’ll play No. 15 Purdue at the Jimmy V Classic on Tuesday.
