From start to finish, the Sun Devils had it working today. They had yet to put up 30 in the first half of this game. Not only did they do that, they hit 35 in each quarter. Arizona State would turn this instant offense into an 82-67 win in the consolation game of the Vegas Showdown over Vanderbilt.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!A Complete Effort ✅@SunDevilHoops takes down Vanderbilt to cap the Vegas Showdown 🔱 pic.twitter.com/GyQpe65PKf
— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) November 25, 2023
Alonzo Gaffney led Arizona State throughout the game. He had a career-high 17 points in the first half, including going 5/5 from three. The Sun Devils had it all working tonight, as their usual poor shooting came around today. ASU, who usually is the worst team in college football from behind the arc, went 10-22 from three today. Gaffney came into this game 1-17 from three on the season.
Jose Perez added 15 points. Jamiya Neal had 14, and Frankie Collins had 12. It was only the second time they had gone over 70 this year.
Recap
Arizona State piled it on early and often in the first half. They took a 15-point lead into the half because they could go on runs, including an eight-point run and an 11-point run midway through the first half. They were holding a top three-point shooting team to just 11%.
In the second half, they never allowed Vandy to get into it. Despite allowing 25 points to Evan Taylor and 15 to Tyrin Lawrence, they held everyone else to 12 and under. Vanderbilt started the half with a 6-0 run that allowed them to drop the lead to single digits, but an immediate 8-0 run completely sealed the deal early in the half, and Vandy never returned to single digits again. The Sun Devils would go 9-11 from the line to hold this game out of reach for the Commodores.
What’s Next?
Arizona State moved to 3-2 with this win, making it their first Power Six win. Vandy drops to 3-3 and finishes last in the Vegas Showdown. ASU would take third place in the event with their win. BYU, who beat ASU yesterday, defeated NC State in the championship today to take home the tournament.
Villanova will now head home to face Sam Houston State on Wednesday.
Arizona State Finally Found Their Shot, Takes 44-29 Lead Into Half
