Sun Devil Men's Basketball Defeats Saint Mary's in Acrisure Classic Championship

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. - Sun Devil Men's Basketball won the Acrisure Classic Championship by defeating Saint Mary's on Friday night at Acrisure Arena.

For the second consecutive night, Head Coach Bobby Hurley's team came through in a close game and proved to be a different team after halftime. Arizona State (7-1) trailed by as many as nine points in the first half, but showed resiliency throughout the night to secure a 68-64 victory over the previously undefeated Gaels (7-1).

A key to the win was the Sun Devils limiting Saint Mary's to just 17-of-43 (39.5%) shooting from inside the arc for the game and a 11-of-30 (36.7%) overall mark from the field in the second half. An intense and strategic effort after the break proved to be the difference, as the Maroon & Gold surged past a Saint Mary's squad that has won 26 or more games in three straight seasons. Arizona State earns the fourth non-conference tournament championship in the Bobby Hurley era (2024 Acrisure Classic, 2022 Legends Classic, 2018 MGM Resorts Main Event, 2017 Continental Tire Invitational). 

Freshman guard Joson Sanon was named the 2024 Acrisure Classic MVP following the game. He led all scorers with 19 points in the win over the Gaels, making 8-of-16 shots from the field and 3-of-4 from deep. Sanon averaged 19 points in the two-game stretch and continues to emerge as one of the best freshman in the nation. Fellow freshman Jayden Quaintance made his impact felt in many ways, putting forth an all-around effort of 10 points, nine rebounds, five assists, three steals, and two blocks. Veterans BJ Freeman (11 points) and Adam Miller (11 points) provided timely buckets down the stretch, allowing the Sun Devils to capture one of the program's biggest non-conference victories.

Quotables
"I am very proud of the guys and the way they battled," Coach Hurley mentioned after the game. "That is a fantastic and talented Saint Mary's team, but we showed toughness down the stretch. Several guys stepped up on both ends of the floor in order for us to secure that win."

Up Next 
Arizona State returns home to take on San Diego in their final non-conference home game and only game at Desert Financial Arena in the month of December. Come out to cheer on Arizona State when they face the Torreros on Tuesday Dec. 3 at 7 PM MST. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN+.

Acrisure Classic Championship Game
Sun Devil Men's Basketball captures their fourth non-conference tournament championship in the Bobby Hurley era. ASU also won the 2022 Legends Classic, 2018 MGM Resorts Title, and the 2017 Continental Tire Invitational.

2024 Acrisure Classic Champions
ASU 68, Saint Mary's 64 (Nov. 29, 2024) -- Palm Springs
ASU 85, New Mexico 82 (Nov. 28, 2024) -- Palm Springs

2022 Legends Classic
ASU 87, #20 Michigan 62 (Nov. 17, 2022) -- Barclays Center, Brooklyn
ASU 63, VCU 59 (Nov. 16, 2022) -- Barclays Center, Brooklyn

2018 MGM Resorts Title
ASU 87, Utah State 82 (Nov. 21, 2018 at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas)
ASU 72, #15 Mississippi State 67 (Nov. 20, 2018 at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas)

2017 Continental Tire Invitational
ASU 102, #15 Xavier 86 (Nov. 24, 2017 at Orleans Arena, Las Vegas) 
ASU 92, Kansas State 90 (Nov. 23, 2017 at Orleans Arena, Las Vegas)

Tournament MVP
Freshman guard Joson Sanon was named the 2024 Acrisure Classic Tournament MVP. He was fantastic in helping Arizona State defeat New Mexico and Saint Mary's. Sanon averaged 19.0 points in only 30 minutes per game on 14-of-25 (56%) shooting and 5-of-9 (56%) from deep. He was the Sun Devils' leading scorer in their victory over Saint Mary's in the Championship game, scoring 19 points and making three of his four three pointers.

Block Party
Freshman Jayden Quaintance has recorded 28 blocks thus far in the 2024-2025 season, already surpassing Pac-12 career blocks leader Jordan Bachynski on the ASU freshman single-season blocks list. Quaintance has the fifth-most blocks by a freshman in program history through eight games. He has two or more blocks in all eight games this year, including four 4+ block performances.

Sun Devil Freshman Blocks Record (1978-79-present)
55, Mario Bennett, 1991-92
33, Jamal Faulkner, 1990-91
31, Ike Diogu, 2002-03
29, Jalen Graham, 2019-20
28, Jayden Quaintance, 2024-25

The Jayden Quaintance Effect
Jayden Quaintance's presence could be felt in many ways, including when looking at Saint Mary's success inside the paint. Quaintance and the Sun Devil interior defense held the Gaels to a putrid 6-of-17 (35.2%) on layups and 17-of-43 (39.5%) overall from inside the arc. Earlier in the year, Grand Canyon finished a similarly low 13-for-28 (46%) on layups and 19-for-42 (45%) on shots inside the arc in large part due to Jayden Quaintance's presence down low.

The freshman did a little bit of everything in leading Arizona State to the Acrisure Classic Championship. Quaintance finished with 10 points, nine rebounds, five assists, three steals, and two blocks in 32 minutes of action. 

Don't Count Us Out
Arizona State has come back to win a game when trailing at halftime 46 times during the Bobby Hurley era, including each of the past two games. Since 2015-16, the Sun Devils are Top-25 in the nation with their 46 halftime comeback victories.

2024-25 (2)
(-2) Saint Mary's 34, ASU 32/Nov. 29, 2024/ASU 68, New Mexico 64
(-3) New Mexico 37, ASU 34/Nov. 28, 2024/ASU 85, New Mexico 82

2023-24 (5)
(-2) @Utah 42, ASU 40/Feb. 10, 2024/ASU 85, @Utah 77
(-10) @Cal 35, ASU 25/Dec. 31, 2023/ASU 71, @Cal 69 
(-9) @Stanford 37, ASU 28/Dec. 29, 2023/ASU 76, @Stanford 73
(-3) SMU 40, ASU 36/Dec. 6, 2023/ASU 76, SMU 74
(-9) UMass Lowell 31, ASU 22/Nov. 16, 2023/ASU 71, UMass Lowell 69

Second Half Shutdown
Arizona State turned up the defensive intensity when they came out of the break. Saint Mary's failed to record a field goal until the 13:58 mark in the second half, going over six minutes without making a shot. The Gaels shot 11-of-30 (36.7%) from the field and 3-of-10 (30%) from three after the break.

Holding Saint Mary's star freshman Jordan Ross in check was a big factor in the comeback win. After scoring 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting in the first half, Ross scored only 5 points and was 1-of-6 from the field in the second despite playing all 20 minutes.

Hitting the Glass
Saint Mary's entered the game first nationally in rebounding margin, averaging 16 more rebounds than their opponents. ASU held their own in that area (41-34 SMC edge), including boasting a 20-19 rebounding advantage in the second half.

Comfortable when it is Close
Sun Devils move to 19-8 in two-possession games over the past three seasons. Arizona State is 61-42 (59.2%) in close games in the Bobby Hurley era and 3-0 this season. All three wins have come in the past three games.

Sun Devils in Games of Six Points or Less
2024-25 (3-0)
ASU 68, Saint Mary's 64 (Nov. 29, 2024)
ASU 85, New Mexico 82 (Nov. 28, 2024)
ASU 93, Cal Poly 89 (Nov. 20, 2024)

2023-24 (5-3)
Washington 84, ASU 82 OT (Feb. 22, 2024)
UCLA 68, ASU 66 (Jan. 17, 2024)
ASU 76, Colorado 73 (Jan. 6, 2024)
ASU 71, @ Cal 69 (Dec. 31, 2023)
ASU 76, @Stanford 73 (Dec. 29, 2023)
@San Diego 89, ASU 84 (Dec. 9, 2023)
ASU 76, SMU 74 (Dec. 6, 2023)
ASU 71, UMass Lowell 69 (Nov. 16, 2023)

2022-23 (11-5)
TCU 72, ASU 70 (Mar. 17, 2023 at NCAA Tournament/Ball Arena in Denver)
ASU 77, USC 72 (Mar. 9, 2023 at Pac-12 Tournament/T-Mobile Center in Las Vegas)
ASU 63, Oregon State 57 (Mar. 8, 2023 at Pac-12 Tournament/T-Mobile Center in Las Vegas)
ASU 65, @USC 68 (Mar. 4, 2023)
ASU 89, @Arizona 88 (Feb. 25, 2023)
ASU 69, @Stanford 65 (Feb. 9, 2023)
Oregon 75, ASU 70 (Feb. 4, 2023)
@Washington 69, ASU 66 (Jan. 26, 2023)
ASU 74, @Oregon State 69 (Jan. 14, 2023)
ASU 77, Washington State 71 (Jan. 5, 2023)
ASU 73, Creighton 71 (Dec. 12, 2022 at Jack Jones Hoopfest in Las Vegas)
ASU 68, Stanford 64 (Dec. 4, 2022)
ASU 60, @Colorado 59 (Dec. 1, 2022)
ASU 63, VCU 59 (Nov. 16, 2022/Barclays Center)
@Texas Southern 67, ASU 66 (Nov. 13, 2022)
ASU 62, Tarleton 59 (Nov. 7, 2022)

7-1 Start
Arizona State starts 7-1 for the first time since the 2022-2023 season and the fourth time under the Bobby Hurley era (2017-18, 2018-19, 2022-23, 2024-25).

Neutralizing the Opponent
Arizona State continues their success under Bobby Hurley at neutral sites. The Sun Devils have defeated four teams that won 20+ games in neutral settings already in 2024-25 (Saint Mary's, Grand Canyon, Santa Clara, New Mexico). Three were 2024 NCAA Tournament participants. ASU has now won 17 games overall under Hurley in neutral games. That includes past wins over NC State, Kansas State, St. John's, Mississippi State, Xavier, Michigan, Utah State, New Mexico, Saint Mary's, and Creighton.

2024-25 (4-0)
ASU 68, Saint Mary's 64 (Nov. 29, 2024) - Acrisure Series (Palm Desert, CA)
ASU 85, New Mexico (Nov. 28, 2024) - Acrisure Series (Palm Desert, CA)
ASU 87 vs. Grand Canyon 76 (Nov. 14, 2024) - Hall off Fame Series at Footprint Center (Phoenix, AZ)
ASU 81, Santa Clara 74 (Nov. 8, 2024) - Hoopfest at Lee's Family Forum (Las Vegas, NV)

Free-d Up
Senior guard BJ Freeman had a major impact down the stretch. He not only scored several huge baskets on the offensive end, he also secured several important defensive rebounds. In the second half alone, Freeman had eight points and six rebounds in 17 minutes.

Ball Security
After finishing with more turnovers than their opponent in each of the first six games of the season, Arizona State now has less turnovers for the second straight game. Saint Mary's committed 13 compared to ASU's 10.

Why they Won
Head Coach Bobby Hurley's team did all the little things right and owned several important statistical categories. 

Fast Break Points: 14-4, Arizona State
Points in the Paint: 38-22, Arizona State
Bench Points: 21-8, Arizona State
Second Chance Points: 13-8, Arizona State

Sansational Start
Joson Sanon continues to emerge as one of the premier freshman in the country. He finished with 19 points on 8-of-16 shooting off the bench. Over the last five games, Joson Sanon has scored a total of 99 points (19.8 ppg) and grabbed 20 rebounds (4.0 rpg). During that span, he is shooting 35-63 (55.5%) from the field and 15-26 (57.7%) from beyond the arc. He is now averaging a team-best 15.5 points per game this season.

Series History
Arizona State defeats the Gaels for the first time in the three meetings between the two programs. Arizona State is now 2-1 against WCC teams this season (W vs Santa Clara & Saint Mary's; L at Gonzaga).

The Hurley Era
Bobby Hurley has won 162 games at ASU and is only the second coach in program history to reach the mark. With the win over Cal Poly, he passed Herb Sendek for the second-most victories in program history.

Career Wins at ASU
406, Ned Wulk (1957-82)
162, Bobby Hurley (2015-present)
159, Herb Sendek (2006-15)Free throw shooting in second half

About those Sun Devil Wins
Coach Hurley has notched 162 wins at Arizona State and has done it while scheduling aggressively and not being afraid to play on the road. He has won 102 games in Arizona, but also has won at least five games in California (16), Nevada (13), Oregon (six) and Washington (five). Four wins have taken place in Utah, three in New York, and two in Colorado, Nebraska, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Single wins have taken place in Florida, Georgia, Kansas, New Jersey and Texas.

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Here to Stay
The Arizona State Board of Regents announced in March of 2023 that Sun Devil Men's Basketball Head Coach Bobby Hurley has agreed to an extension that will keep him with the program through the 2026 season.
 
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