ASU Basketball was unable to finish its comeback against the Davidson Wildcats, losing the game 68-60 to finish sixth at the Tire Pros Invitational.
The Arizona State Sun Devils finished sixth at the Tire Pros Invitational following a 68-60 loss to the Davidson Wildcats.
Foul trouble played a pivotal role in this game as freshman Sam Cunliffe picked up two fouls in the opening minutes while guards Tra Holder and Kodi Justice fouled out in the second half. This allowed Davidson to shoot 30 total free throws and forced ASU head coach Bobby Hurley to experiment with different lineups.
Here are three things to take away from this game.
1. Sam Cunliffe is on the rise
Hurley has been adamant on getting the freshman guard reps and it’s shown as Cunliffe has started every game to begin the season. Against Davidson, Cunliffe finished the first half leading the Sun Devils in scoring with eight points, shooting a perfect 3-3 from the field including two makes from downtown.
The four-star prospect also pulled down three rebounds all while playing six minutes due to foul trouble.
Cunliffe, who has taken a backseat to guards Torian Graham, Shannon Evans II and Tra Holder, constantly penetrated to the rim off the dribble and displayed his athleticism on the perimeter and in the paint. Cunliffe ended the night shooting 50 percent with 11 points.
2. ASU Needs to Capitalize on Turnovers
Winning the turnover battle is something many coaches and analysts look at when determining the outcome of a game. About 99 percent of the time, the team who holds onto the ball wins the game, ASU was in the 1 percent against Davidson.
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ASU forced 18 turnovers while only commiting nine but were unable to win.
Despite a high turnover rate, Davidson managed to take advantage of the turnovers they forced, scoring 11 points off of turnovers, something thing the Sun Devils couldn’t manage. The Sun Devils only managed to pick up 15 points on 18 Davidson turnovers.
While there is credit due to the Sun Devils defense in forcing a high number of turnovers, the transition offense needs to be more efficient.
3. The Sun Devils Need to Attack the Rim
Hurley has said time and time again that the Sun Devils will shoot a lot of threes this season. Largely in part to the depth the team has at the guard position but also because of how few offensively-gifted big men play for ASU.
It is still clear that the team isn’t sure of when to attack the basket when three pointers aren’t falling. ASU needs to develop the instict to drive when jumpers are off.
ASU shot 9-30 on three-point shots, ultimately causing them to adjust only after falling behind by double digits.
Senior forward Obinna Oleka is a prime example of why the Sun Devils need to utilize whatever height they do have. Oleka shot 1-7 from behind the arc and scored 8 of his 11 points in the paint.
The loss drops ASU to 2-2 on the season, who will next prepare for The Citadel on Nov. 23.
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