The Sun Devils (20-9 and 8-9 Pac-12) were paced by a stout defensive effort that did not surrender a single made three-point attempt (0-18).
"That was a great win," said head coach Bobby Hurley after the victory. "I thought we defended with a lot of energy for most of the game and guarded the line really well so that was a positive. It felt good to bounce back and get back to playing more freely."
Some strong play on the defensive end of the floor allowed Hurley's team to gain a little separation early.
Arizona State allowed just two field goals in the first seven minutes of the game and grew its lead to 13-5 after a mini 4-0 run by forward De'Quon Lake. The junior would ultimately finish the night in double figures, scoring 10 points in just 14 minutes off the bench.
That eight-point advantage would eventually grow to as high as 12 in the opening half and the Sun Devils took a 39-29 lead into the locker rooms.
BIGGEST VICTORY MARGIN IN PAC-12 GAME BY ASU PAST 12 SEASONS (2006-07 TO PRESENT)
35 (79-44) at California (Jan. 22, 2015)
31 (84-53) vs. California (Mar. 1, 2018)
31 (69-38) vs. Oregon State (Jan. 8, 2009)
TOP 5 @SUNDEVILHOOPS AVERAGE ATTENDANCE
2017-18: 10,522 (one game to play)
1995-96: 9,514
2008-09: 9,354
1994-95: 9,333
2003-04: 9,003
HALFTIME SPEECHES: ASU is averaging 44.2 points in the second half, a mark that is closing in on one of the best by a Pac-12 team in the past 22 seasons (1996-97) according to STATS and Pac-12 Network research.
BEST SECOND-HALF POINTS AVERAGE BY PAC-12 TEAM (1996-97 TO PRESENT)
48.5/Arizona, 1997-98
46.6/UCLA, 2016-17
45.2/Arizona, 2003-04
44.4/Arizona, 1996-97
44.2/Arizona State, 2017-18
"It felt good to just get out there and be ourselves," freshman point guard Remy Martin said. "We started the game loose and making plays. That's what happens when we play Sun Devil basketball."
There was more "Sun Devil basketball" on deck as soon as the second half got underway.
Carrying some momentum over from a strong opening stanza, Arizona State used a quick 12-4 run to push the advantage to 51-33 with 14 minutes remaining.
It was all Sun Devils from that point on, as the lead grew to 21 on a Tra Holder layup about a minute later. It was a free throw from Holder that pushed the advantage to 25 with three minutes left, and the team used a three-pointer from senior Austin Witherill in his penultimate home game to go up 31 at 82-51.
AUSTIN WITHERILL FOR THREE ???????? pic.twitter.com/MrYw1Oz47W
— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) March 2, 2018
The final was 84-53, marking the team's best defensive effort of the season. The last time Arizona State had allowed less than 53 points was on January 22, 2015, when the Sun Devils beat the Golden Bears 79-44 in Berkeley.
Arizona State got the job done on the defensive end of the floor and then capitalized on the other end, finishing with a 21-8 advantage in points off turnovers. The Sun Devils also used a dominating performance from their bench, outscoring California 28-11.
"I knew they weren't a great shooting team, so we just wanted to get a hand up and play good defense," said Martin. "When you play good defense, good things happen."
All told, Arizona State finished the game with five players in double figures. Senior Shannon Evans II led the way, tallying 14 points on a 6-of-9 shooting night in his second to last game in Tempe.
The Sun Devils now set their sights on sweeping the weekend, which they can accomplish against Stanford on Senior Day on Saturday afternoon.
"There isn't really time to take a victory lap after this one," Hurley said when asked about the regular season finale. "We still have to prepare tomorrow and hopefully we can carry this momentum into Saturday."
POSTGAME QUOTES
COACH HURLEY OPENING STATEMENT
"It was great. It was a good bounce back from the Oregon swing and to get back to playing freely. Some of the plays in the second half were who we are and who we have been most of the year and multiple guys, with Shannon's (Evans) play between his legs and making that layup, then Kodi's (Justice) fake behind the back; Remy's (Martin) no-look pass to (Dequan) Lake. There were so many different examples of us playing with a little more swagger to how we play and creating. We didn't shoot it great from three but everything else took care of itself. I thought we defended well - defended with energy for most of the game, guarded the line really well so there was a lot of positives."
ON GETTING CAL INTO FOUL TROUBLE
"We wanted to be in attack mode and we were attacking off the dribble, getting inseams to get to the free-throw line. It's kind of what we did way earlier in the season, in terms of the number of free throws we shot today. That's a credit to the guards and how they are attacking. I thought Romello (White) was really good today, especially early in the game with his rebounding and to start the second half to get us off to a good start. He had really good minutes."
ON EMOTIONAL SIDE OF THE LAST COUPLE GAMES
"When you have lost a couple in a row and a couple close games you start to doubt yourself some, second guess some things but it was great. Hopefully, we carry this momentum to the next game. We still have to prepare great and make sure to address what we need to address tomorrow. There is really no time for a victory lap after this game. I like to see the guys celebrating and enjoying the victory, particularly at the end to see the walk on's get in -- Austin (Witherill), Jordan (Salzman) and Grant (Fogerty) for those guys to play and to see our bench supporting them to bring a good vibe to the locker room after the game."
ROMELLO WHITE AND REMY MARTIN
What did it feel like to get your first blowout in a while?
Martin: It felt great just to go out there and be ourselves. That is the type of basketball that Sun Devil basketball plays. We go out there and we play freely and we just make plays. It felt great to get this win under our belt after a tough Oregon loss, but we just go out there and play as hard as we can and that's what happens when we play Sun Devil basketball.
Coach Hurley wanted you guys to play loose this weak. Was that hard coming off three straight losses?
Martin: Not really because this is how we play no matter what. We don't get away from ourselves. We always play the way we play. We just made the smart plays and the right plays. Having these guys down low like Melo (White) and (De'Quon) Lake anchoring the defense is a big help, so we go out and get stops and get to run. It's all about stops and the defensive end. When we get stop and are able to run it is hard for teams to stay with us.
What does this win do for your confidence?
White: It's huge. We played great, I feel like we shared the ball, we made shots, and we got back to who we are. I feel like this confidence is just increasing and building and we are getting ready for the next game on Saturday (vs. Stanford).
Were you guys aware that Cal did not make a three pointer all game?
Martin: We weren't really focused on that. I knew they weren't a great shooting team, but we just wanted to get a hand up and play good defense. When you just play good defense that happens. They didn't make a shot, that's good for us and we got the win.
Remy, how many no look passes do you think you had?
Martin: I don't know, but as long as I don't turn it over and it gets through that's all that matters. I like to play with a little flash in my game and get the crowd going, get my bigs going. That's all that matter I just want to get these guys going and ultimately all I care about is the win.
What did you think allowed you guys to get the easy dunks and put backs today?
White: To me, I just felt like they were lazy. I was just walking in front of them, digging them in, and getting deep post touches. I felt like if they are going to play like that why not attack them and ride them the whole game, so they played defense like that and I did what I had to do.
What been the process behind the improvement in your post game this season?
White: Just working on my game and working on different moves. At the beginning of the season, I had like one move I would usually go to, but after a while people started catching on to it. Coach Hurley and my guards were telling me I have to go to my left hand and use up fakes, so I tried to mix it up today. I feel like I did that.