ASU Men's Basketball defeats Santa Clara in Las Vegas

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LAS VEGAS – Sun Devils Men's Basketball defeated Santa Clara in a neutral site matchup at Lee's Family Forum on Friday.
 
Arizona State (2-0) took down the Broncos (1-1), 81-74, in a back-and-forth contest. Senior guards BJ Freeman and Adam Miller led the way offensively, combining to score 33 points and making five three pointers. The freshman trio of guard/forward Amier Ali (13 points), guard Joson Sanon (11 points), and forward Jayden Quaintance (13 rebounds) each had a major impact on the game. Head Coach Bobby Hurley wins his 199 game, putting him one step closer to the 200-career win mark. The 15 three-pointers made by the Maroon and Gold sparked an excellent offensive effort.

How it Happened
In front of a strong Sun Devil contingent, Arizona State got off to a fast start, controlling the action early against Santa Clara. ASU led a majority of the first half, building a margin as high as 11 points. The Broncos managed to cut into their deficit before the break, making it a two point game at halftime.

Adjustments implemented by Coach Hurley and the staff paid dividends, as the Sun Devils were extremely effective the rest of the way, especially on the offensive end. Arizona State scored 45 points over the final 20 minutes with the entire team getting involved. Despite several valiant attempts by Santa Clara to counter a powerful Maroon & Gold attack, ASU prevailed with an impressive seven-point win away from home.

Neutralizing the Opponent
Arizona State continues their success under Bobby Hurley in the city of Las Vegas. The Sun Devils move to 5-3 over the past three years in the Entertainment Capital of the World, picking up wins over Santa Clara, Vanderbilt, Creighton, USC, and Oregon State during that span. ASU has now won 14 games overall under Hurley at neutral sites.

Series History
The Sun Devils win their sixth straight meeting in the series with Santa Clara and now hold a 6-2 advantage in the all-time series.

Block Bonus
Arizona State was credited with five blocks, compared to zero for Santa Clara. The Sun Devils now hold a 14-3 advantage in the category through two games this year.

Boost from the Bench
BJ Freeman, Amier Ali, Shawn Phillips Jr., and Austin Nunez had a huge influence on the game coming off the bench. ASU got 38 points from their reserves in a combined 70 minutes of action. 

Getting to the Line
Arizona State's aggressive approach resulted in a large margin in free throw attempts between the two teams. The Sun Devils shot 27 free throws compared to the Broncos 16 attempts. 

Sun Devils in Las Vegas
Head Coach Bobby Hurley and Sun Devil Men's Basketball are no stranger to competing in Las Vegas, as the program has had plenty of success in the city during his tenure. Arizona State is now 5-3 in Las Vegas over the past three seasons, picking up victories over Santa Clara, Creighton, Vanderbilt, Oregon State, and USC during that span. The Sun Devils participated in the 2023 Vegas Showdown last year, going 1-1 at Michelob ULTRA Arena (L vs. No. 20 BYU, W vs. Vanderbilt). In previous years, Coach Hurley has guided ASU to neutral site tournament championships at the 2017 Continental Tire Invitational and the 2018 MGM Resorts Main Event. Here is a look back at some of the program's biggest triumphs in the Entertainment Capital of the World.  

2022 Jack Jones Hoopfest (Michelob ULTRA Arena)
ASU 73, Creighton 71 - Dec. 12
Facing adversity and resisting several significant momentum shifts in the second half, Arizona State overcame a 21-point swing and downed Creighton 73-71 in their last appearance at Michelob ULTRA Arena.

Desmond Cambridge Jr. was lethal, dropping his game-high 19 points in only 18 minutes. With ASU taking body blows in the form of a 16-0 Creighton run early in the second half, he drilled two threes in less than 30 seconds to silence the Bluejays faithful. The Sun Devils clamped down defensively - forcing Creighton to miss seven of its final nine shots in the final five minutes - resulting in the massive win.

2018 MGM Resorts Main Event (T-Mobile Arena)
ASU 87, Utah State 82 - Nov. 21
Luguentz Dort earned MVP honors of the MGM Resorts Heavyweight Bracket with a 33-point outing to lift Arizona State to an 87-82 win over Utah State. Dort's tally still is the third-best in program history for by a freshman, behind Mario Bennett (35 in 1992) and Jahii Carson (34 in 2013).

Arizona State moved to 5-0 on the season for only the third time in the past 33 seasons with the victory. This was part of an incredible stretch under Hurley in which the program won 19 straight non-conference games during the regular season.

ASU 72, #15 Mississippi State 67 - Nov. 20
For the second consecutive season, the Sun Devils captured a statement November victory in Las Vegas, NV with the 72-67 win over No. 15 Mississippi State. The Sun Devils broke the Bulldogs full-court press in the final seconds, leading to a slam by Kimani Lawrence that capped off ASU's 4-0 start.

Lawrence drilled a game-winning three from the corner, giving Arizona State a three-point advantage with just 29 seconds to play.  Lawrence tallied a career-high 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting Monday and snagged five rebounds. With Sun Devil Men's Golf legend Phil Mickelson in attedance, the Maroon & Gold advance to the championship game of the event.

2017 Continental Tire Invitational (Orleans Arena)
ASU 102, #15 Xavier 86 - Nov. 24
Arizona State, elevated by a career-high 40-point performance from Invitational MVP Tra Holder, defeated No. 15 Xavier 102-86 to capture the Continental Tire Invitational Championship. The victory was the program's first win over an opponent ranked in the Top-15 since knocking off then No. 6 Arizona, 81-78, on Feb. 7, 2015. It also marked Arizona State's largest margin of victory (16) over a ranked opponent in the Bobby Hurley era. ASU improved to 6-0, eclipsing the 90+ point-mark in all six games. Collectively Arizona State capped the outing shooting at impressive clips of 56 percent (33-of-59) from the field, 48 percent (13-27) from beyond the arc and 92 percent from the charity stripe (23-of-25).

ASU 92, Kansas State 90 - Nov. 23
Kodi Justice scored 19 of his 28 points in the second half to lead Arizona State to a 92-90 victory over Kansas State on Thanksgiving in the Continental Tire Invitational. ASU reached 90 points for the fifth straight game for the first time since February of 1960, moving to 5-0 for only the second time in 32 years. Justice hit from all over in making 9-of-10 field goal and 6-of-8 free throws. He was perfect in four three-pointers and added three assists and just one turnover in 37 minutes.

Up Next
Sun Devil Men's Basketball will head to Spokane where they will take on No. 6 Gonzaga on November 10th at 3 p.m. MST. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN and available via radio on 92.3 FM KTAR News. 
 
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Quotables

Coach Hurley on the contributions from the freshman 
"There are a number of guys who can be playmakers and we trust to make the right play. If we share the ball the right way, good things will happen. Joson got off to a fast start, JQ came through his rebounding, and Amier made some big shots down the stretch. The freshman stepped up for us."

Coach Hurley on facing Santa Clara
"It was a test. That team has a chance to make the NCAA Tournament. They'll win a lot of games this year. It is an older team that has played a lot of games together and brought several guys back. So it was a really good win for us."

Coach Hurley on the improved offense
"It was a matter of the guys getting a chance to gel and learn to play together. As much as you try and do that in practice, you can't simulate what a game has to offer. I'm happy to see (our chemistry) start to take shape."

BJ Freeman on the ball movement
"Everybody is putting up shots everyday and we have the confidence in each other. Making the extra pass and being a good teammate allows us to get good shots. Everything feels better when you are sharing the ball."

Adam Miller on his performance tonight 
"I felt good. I tried to go out there and play with a free mind. Focus on being myself, staying confident, and trusting my teammates."

Adam Miller on the balanced offensive effort
"Going into the season, that is how we expected it to be. Everybody contributing. Even the guys that didn't have there best scoring game still contributed. That is how you find ways to dig it out and get a win."

Adam Miller on what changed from game one to two
"It came down to executing and moving the ball. We have great players, so when we are kicking out and hitting threes, that's what our team is built off of. We have to continue making the extra pass and getting into the paint."