Arizona State will be looking for its third straight win Tuesday when the Sun Devils host slumping Long Beach State.
The Devils (5-4) narrowly avoided an upset loss to Nevada their last time out but held on for a 78-75 win, their second in a row after a three-game losing streak. Seniors Ty Abbott and Rihards Kuksiks led ASU in scoring in that game and are second and third on the team in scoring for the season -- Abbott is averaging 13.1 points and Kuksiks is averaging 11.4 points while shooting a team-leading 41.4 percent from 3-point range.
Sophomore guard Trent Lockett continues to lead ASU with 15.6 points per game and is second in rebounding with 6.9 per game from his backcourt position. Freshman Kyle Cain is pulling down a team-high 7.0 rebounds per game.
ASU's offense has come to life in the past two games, posting more than 70 points in back-to-back games for the first time all season. In the previous four games -- three of which were losses -- the Devils did not score more than 61 points.
Long Beach State (5-7) enters on a three-game losing streak and has lost five of its past seven. The 49ers lined up an impressive nonconference slate but have not fared particularly well, losing early-season games to Clemson, Washington and North Carolina but beating Iowa on Nov. 22.
The 49ers have struggled on defense of late, allowing 80 points or more in six of the last seven games.
The 49ers are led by junior point guard Casper Ware, who is averaging 14.8 points and 6.8 assists per game, and junior forward T.J. Robinson, who has six double-doubles this season and is averaging 14.8 points and 10.3 rebounds. Robinson and backup guard Tristan Wilson are both shooting over 50 percent from 3-point range, with Robinson at 52.9 percent and Wilson at a team-leading 57.1 percent.
Following the men's game, the Arizona State women host No. 16 DePaul at approximately 7:30 p.m.
ASU (7-2) brings a four-game winning streak into the game against the Blue Demons, with much of the success attributed to the defense. During their win streak, the Sun Devils have allowed 51.5 points per game (compared with 58.8 in the first five games), have held opponents to a shooting percentage of .354 (.401 in first five games) and have averaged 14.0 steals per game (9.3 in first five games).
On the offensive side, the Sun Devils have averaged 15.3 assists in their last four games (compared with 10.8 in the first five games) and have shot .361 from 3-point range (.159 in the first five games).
DePaul (13-1) comes into Tuesday
