Arizona State came out firing and never really let Hofstra settle in, riding a blistering offensive start and a huge night from Paulius Murauskas to build a comfortable lead at Desert Financial Arena.
The Sun Devils opened fast in the first four minutes, setting the pace early as Foxwell knocked down a 3-pointer and ASU held Hofstra to 2-for-6 shooting. That stretch pushed the Sun Devils ahead 9-5.
ASU kept the pressure on and stretched the margin to its largest point of the first half when back-to-back 3s from Bryce Ford and Dillan Shaw helped spark the crowd. Even with three turnovers in that stretch, the Sun Devils were in control at 20-13.
Hofstra responded after the under-12 timeout, trimming into the lead with a run of its own and three made 3-pointers to close the gap. But Murauskas took over late in the half, scoring 13 straight for ASU as the Pride had trouble getting stops. He led all scorers with 17 at the break, and Ajak Nyuon capped the half with a 3-pointer at the buzzer to send ASU into halftime up 41-32.
The Sun Devils picked right back up in the second half. They opened the frame on a 17-3 run, and freshman JRob Croy did plenty of the damage with an 8-0 burst by himself. By that point, ASU had pushed the lead to 58-35.
Croy stayed hot from there, drilling his fourth 3-pointer as the Sun Devils’ shooting continued to roll. That made it 63-40 ASU with 11:52 left.
Arizona State entered the game as an 18.5-point favorite in its third game under new head coach Randy Bennett. The Sun Devils were without guard/forward Emmanuel Innocenti, small forward Marcus Vaughns and forward Jonathan Griman. Innocenti and Griman were listed as day-to-day.
Hofstra came in after winning the CAA last season and reaching the NCAA Tournament as a No. 13 seed, where it lost to Alabama in the first round. The Pride return just three players from that championship roster and were coming off a 60-58 loss to Princeton on Thursday.
ASU also entered with the buzz of Bennett’s first offseason, which brought in the highest-rated recruiting class in program history, including two-time All-WCC power forward Paulius Murauskas, the No. 10 overall player in the transfer portal.
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Paulius Murauskas Is Changing Arizona State's Ceiling Faster Than Expected
Paulius Murauskas has wasted little time making Arizona State look more dangerous than expected. The Sun Devils have already seen the transfer forward deliver a 22-point, 11-rebound performance in a win, and the early returns have matched the buzz that followed him into the program, where he was picked as the preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year.
His impact has gone beyond scoring, too. Murauskas was named to the Big 12 Starting Five of the Week, and head coach Randy Bennett has pointed to his leadership and knack for drawing fouls as part of what is lifting the teams ceiling. For Arizona State, the encouraging part is not just that Murauskas has been productive, but that he seems to be settling in fast enough to change the shape of the season before it has really settled in. [Read more 🡒]
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Arizona States Early Turnaround Starts With Two Veterans Fans Need To Notice
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Bryce Ford has been part of that same foundation. The senior guard stayed with the program after the coaching change and has given Arizona State important production as Bennett works to build depth and reshape the rotation. For a team trying to move quickly from uncertainty to identity, the value of veterans like Murauskas and Ford goes beyond box scores, even if there is still plenty to sort out as the schedule gets tougher. [Read more 🡒]