TEMPE, Ariz. – Heading into Friday night's game against Arizona Christian, Bobby Hurley was looking for a dominant performance out of his team in its exhibition finale.
It took a little bit, but he got it.
Behind a 50-point outburst from senior guard Shannon Evans II, the Sun Devils rolled to a 115-69 victory over the visiting Firestorm. The win gave Hurley's team a perfect 3-0 record to finish exhibition play as next week's regular season opener looms.
"We're just trying to get better like all teams are right now," said Hurley after the win. "But I thought it was important for us to put together another winning performance two days after Wednesday's victory. That is what you have to do during the regular season, and we have talked about that as a team as something we need to improve on after last year."
It was all Arizona State from the start in this one, as a strong showing from Evans and freshman Remy Martin on opposite ends of the floor staked their team to an early lead. Martin finished the first half with three steals and eight points, while Evans poured in five three-pointers to help his team to a 53-40 advantage at the break.
A quick 9-1 run out of the locker rooms pushed the Sun Devil advantage to over 20 points, allowing the home team to cruise and the Shannon Evans Show to grab everyone's full attention.
Evans broke the 30-point barrier with 9:42 remaining, reached 40 by knocking down a three that got Arizona State to the century mark and finished off the spectacular night with a circus layup on the team's final possession of the contest. The final bucket made 50, matching a previous personal record that he set while in high school.
"I looked up and was like, 'oh wow, I have 40'," Evans said when recounting the performance. "Then one of our assistant coaches whispered in my ear telling me to go for 50. I was like, 'okay, bet'."
For someone who has been watching Evans through his entire collegiate career (first at Buffalo and now in Tempe), the moment was just as enjoyable for Hurley.
"It was really fun watching him out there," said Hurley. "I've been with that guy for a long time. He was special and everyone was excited to enjoy a performance like that."
The performance capped a three-game exhibition season for the Sun Devils, a stretch that came after the team played and won three games in Europe over the summer. Needless to say, the team is ready for the contests to start counting next week.
With that being said, Hurley notes that there are still a few things to work out before Friday's opener against Idaho State. And that work will start on the glass.
"We need to improve on rebounding and limiting second chance opportunities," he said. "Things are coming around on the defensive end, but it's still a work in progress."
The team will have several chances to get the remaining kinks out in practice over the next week, but Evans isn't worried.
"I feel like we are getting better every day, but you don't really want to be playing your best basketball yet," said the senior. "You want that to come closer to March. Right now I think we're doing the right things to get to that point."
It took a little bit, but he got it.
Behind a 50-point outburst from senior guard Shannon Evans II, the Sun Devils rolled to a 115-69 victory over the visiting Firestorm. The win gave Hurley's team a perfect 3-0 record to finish exhibition play as next week's regular season opener looms.
"We're just trying to get better like all teams are right now," said Hurley after the win. "But I thought it was important for us to put together another winning performance two days after Wednesday's victory. That is what you have to do during the regular season, and we have talked about that as a team as something we need to improve on after last year."
It was all Arizona State from the start in this one, as a strong showing from Evans and freshman Remy Martin on opposite ends of the floor staked their team to an early lead. Martin finished the first half with three steals and eight points, while Evans poured in five three-pointers to help his team to a 53-40 advantage at the break.
A quick 9-1 run out of the locker rooms pushed the Sun Devil advantage to over 20 points, allowing the home team to cruise and the Shannon Evans Show to grab everyone's full attention.
Evans broke the 30-point barrier with 9:42 remaining, reached 40 by knocking down a three that got Arizona State to the century mark and finished off the spectacular night with a circus layup on the team's final possession of the contest. The final bucket made 50, matching a previous personal record that he set while in high school.
"I looked up and was like, 'oh wow, I have 40'," Evans said when recounting the performance. "Then one of our assistant coaches whispered in my ear telling me to go for 50. I was like, 'okay, bet'."
It's Been A Rough Few Days, But This Right Here Makes Things A Little Better. pic.twitter.com/0vtLRqqh7F
— Shannon Evans II ™ (@hollywood_XI) November 4, 2017
For someone who has been watching Evans through his entire collegiate career (first at Buffalo and now in Tempe), the moment was just as enjoyable for Hurley.
"It was really fun watching him out there," said Hurley. "I've been with that guy for a long time. He was special and everyone was excited to enjoy a performance like that."
The performance capped a three-game exhibition season for the Sun Devils, a stretch that came after the team played and won three games in Europe over the summer. Needless to say, the team is ready for the contests to start counting next week.
With that being said, Hurley notes that there are still a few things to work out before Friday's opener against Idaho State. And that work will start on the glass.
"We need to improve on rebounding and limiting second chance opportunities," he said. "Things are coming around on the defensive end, but it's still a work in progress."
The team will have several chances to get the remaining kinks out in practice over the next week, but Evans isn't worried.
"I feel like we are getting better every day, but you don't really want to be playing your best basketball yet," said the senior. "You want that to come closer to March. Right now I think we're doing the right things to get to that point."