Newcomer Anthony Johnson led Arizona State with 17 points and the Sun Devils’ depth fueled an 81-64 win over Southern Utah in Tempe, Ariz.
Johnson, a transfer from the NAIA school University of the Cumberlands (Ky.) led Arizona State with 17 points on 6 of 9 accuracy from the field. He also finished with four rebounds and three assists.
Seven Sun Devils finished the game with at least seven points, and four players finished with double-digit scoring totals. The Arizona State bench accounted for 35 points.
Massamba Diop hit 6 of 8 field goal attempts and registered 14 points, while Allen Mukeba and
Bryce Ford recorded 11 apiece. Mukeba rejected four Southern Utah shots, while Ford knocked down 3 of 5 from behind the arc.
Arizona State is coming off a 13-20 season in which the Sun Devils lost 12 of their last 13 games.
Elijah Duval led the scoring for the Thunderbirds in scoring with 17 points off 8 of14 shooting. The only other Southern Utah player in double digits was Isaiah Cottrell, who finished with 11 points and seven rebounds.
The Thunderbirds misfired on 21 of 25 attempts from 3-point range.
The game got off to a hot start offensively for the Sun Devils, who took a 20-10 lead with 11:03 left in the first half following a layup by Johnson.
SUU cut the lead down to six at 34-28 off a jumper from Jalen Lee with 1:41 left in the first half.
From that point, however, the Sun Devils controlled the rest of the game with their offense. Arizona State ended the game shooting 49.2% from the field and 39.1% from the 3-point line.
–Field Level Media
