Jordan HammArizona State men’s basketball got its first win of the season on Saturday.
Don’t expect Bobby Hurley and co. to be setting up a parade.
While the Sun Devils led for nearly 36 minutes of the 40-game, Texas Southern hung around for much of the game. The final score was 63-52 but it was much closer than that tally.
“(Texas Southern) usually wins one or two games a year like this,” ASU head coach Bobby Hurley said after the game.
The Sun Devils know all too well.
Last year, Texas Southern served ASU their first loss last year in a 67-66 overtime contest.
“Usually after a win, we’re happier,” Hurley said. “I didn’t feel like the locker room overall was very pleased with what we just did even though we won.”
While the on-court product was disappointing for Hurley, he was happy with the response in post-game.
“That’s what I hope to see because I don’t want that to be the standard. It’s unacceptable for us to do some of the things we did statically in this game and have any expectation of beating an elite opponent that’s in our future.”
Some of those issues?
One made three-pointer in the first half.
Going 15/28 from the free throw line.
Shooting 37 percent from the field with multiple missed layups.
But…
The Sun Devils still found a way to win.
This is a brand new team working together with Frankie Collins, Jamiya Neal and Alonzo Gaffney are the only returners last year who logged significant time.
Hurley pointed to Jamiya Neal having to adjust to a new – more prominent – role.
After playing together in a full off-season that included a Europe trip, the Sun Devils added Jose Perez to their roster, and those on-court dynamics are still being figured out.
Despite all of that, Kamari Lands, Collins and Neal all scored in double-figures. Alonzo Gaffney had three blocks and four steals on the defensive end. Zane Meeks in limited time hit two big threes to help breathe life into the crowd.
After one made three-pointer in the first half, the Devils hit five in the final 20 minutes.
There’s plenty to iron out, but the Sun Devils will happily take an ugly win over a pretty loss.
They’re back to work on Thursday against UMass Lowell.
