TEMPE – Sun Devil Men's Basketball defeated St. Thomas in their return to Desert Financial Arena on Sunday night.
Arizona State (4-1) continued the winning ways of Sun Devil Athletics this weekend, securing a 81-66 victory of their own over St. Thomas (3-2) in the first meeting between the two sides. A pair of second half spurts paved the way for the Sun Devils to take the victory, as an 11-3 scoring run with five minutes remaining and a 9-0 scoring run coming out of the final media timeout sealed the deal.
Four Sun Devils reached double figures tonight - led by senior forward Basheer Jihad - who put up another 20-point effort while also grabbing six boards. Freshman forward Jayden Quaintance put together arguably his best collegiate performance, accounting for 13 points and 14 rebounds on his way to recording his first career double-double. Fellow freshman Joson Sanon shot lights out once again, finishing with 18 points and nine boards while nailing 3-of-5 three pointers. Freshman guard/forward Amier Ali contributed 10 points and two rebounds, meaning 41 of the 81 Sun Devil points and 25 of 44 rebounds came courtesy of the highly-touted freshman class.
4-1 Start
Arizona State starts 4-1 for the first time since the 2022-2023 season and the fourth time under the Bobby Hurley era (2017-18, 2018-19, 2022-23, 2024-25).
Series History
This was the first meeting between the two sides, as St. Thomas joined the Division I ranks prior to the 2021-22 season. The Tommies won 20 games a year ago as members of the Summit League.
Defending without Fouling
The Sun Devils only committed seven personal fouls tonight, marking the fewest personal fouls by ASU in a game since being called for seven personal fouls in a 68-52 win over Coppin State on Dec. 29, 2012. The five free throws by the Tommies were their lowest since they shot 4-of-5 against North Dakota on December 29, 2023. The last time they made three free throws or less dates back to November 6, 2023 when they shot 2-of-3 against Cal.
Owning the Glass
The Sun Devils out rebounded the Tommies 44-29, marking the largest rebound margin difference since ASU out rebounded Tarleton State 54-39 in the 2022 season opener (Nov. 7).
Taming the Tommies
St. Thomas came into the game averaging 89.8 points per game while shooting 50.6% overall and 43.2% from deep. Arizona State held the Tommies to only 66 points on 39.4% overall shooting and 29.7% from three.
Aggressiveness Rewarded
Arizona State shot 26 free throws compared to only 5 for St. Thomas. It is the largest free throw attempt difference since a 22 free-throw difference (43-19) in a 73-72 win over SMU on December 6, 2023.
Holding their Star in Check
St. Thomas forward Carter Bjerke shot 47-of-101 (45.6%) from deep in 33 games last year and came into the game shooting 9-of-20 (45%) on three-pointers. Arizona State held him to just 2-of-8 (25%) from beyond the arc.
Ba-Sheer Force
In his first two games, Basheer Jihad combined for five points on 1-of-10 shooting. Over his past three games, Jihad has accumulated 57 points on 16-of-30 (.53%) shooting . He is also 23-for-28 (82.1%) from the free throw line during that span.
80-point Streak
For the first time since the 2017-18 season, Arizona State has reached the 80-point mark in four straight games. That season, Arizona State did it in six straight games, including a win over No. 15 Xavier. That 2017-18 team went on to make the NCAA Tournament.
2024-25 (4 Games)
Arizona State 81, Santa Clara 74
Arizona State 80, Gonzaga 88
Arizona State 87, GCU 76
Arizona State 81, St. Thomas 66
2017-18 (6 Games)
Arizona State 94, Idaho State 74
Arizona State 90, San Diego State 68
Arizona State 97, NAU 62
Arizona State 99, UC Irvine 78
Arizona State 92, Kansas State 90
Arizona State 102, #15 Xavier 86
Hit the Mark
The Sun Devils shot 50% (27/54) from the field tonight. ASU is now 49-4 (.924) when it shoots 50 percent or better from the field under Bobby Hurley
2024-25: 2-0
2023-24: 4-1
2022-23: 6-0
2021-22: 2-1
2020-21: 5-1
2019-20: 4-0
2018-19: 9-0
2017-18: 10-0
2016-17: 4-0
2015-16: 3-0
Get Acquainted
Freshman Jayden Quaintance stuffed the stat sheet in Arizona State's win over St. Thomas. He finished with 13 points, 14 rebounds, four blocks, four assists, and a steal while shooting 6-of-9 from the field. The 14 boards are the most by a Sun Devil since Warren Washington had 14 against Texas Southern on 11/13/22. He joins Basheer Jihad (at Gonzaga) as the only Sun Devils to record a double-double this season. It is his second 4+ block performance of the seaons and he now leads the nation with 17 blocks through five games.
First Half:
BJ Freeman backed his man down to the paint and had an easy look for a layup opportunity at the glass to give the Sun Devils their first points of the night, trailing 3–2 to the Tommies. Alston Mason took advantage of the fast-break and found Joson Sanon on the wing for a knock-down three to give ASU their first lead of the night, leading 8-6 over St. Thomas with 15:49 remaining in the first half.
Coming out of the media timeout, the Tommies seemed to have found their rhythm with back-door cuts to the rack, giving them a 16-13 lead over the Sun Devils with 12:55 remaining.
Alston Mason was able to knock down a shot beyond the arc to bring ASU's deficit within one, trailing 19-18 to St. Thomas with 8:47 remaining. Adam Miller is set to shoot two at the line once they return from the media timeout to potentially retain the lead.
Amier Ali took control off a loose-ball steal and took it to the rack for an easy layup, giving the Sun Devils a 21-19 lead with 7:42 remaining. Basheer Jihad was able to knock one down at the top of the arc, giving ASU their biggest lead of the night, leading 26-21 over St. Thomas. Heading into the last media timeout of the half, the Sun Devils held a 31-26 lead over the Tommies with 2:25 left to play.
Adam Miller found Jayden Quaintance rolling on pick-and-roll for an easy one-hand slam, increasing ASU's lead to 33-26 over St. Thomas with 1:42 remaining in the half. Once again, Adam Miller found Jayden Quaintance cutting to the hoop for a grown man two-hand slam with three seconds remaining in the half. The Sun Devils head into halftime with a 39-29 lead over the Tommies.
Second Half:
St. Thomas jumped out of the gate coming out of halftime and managed to put together a 8-0 scoring run, but Basheer Jihad was able to turn a layup into an and-1 opportunity, giving ASU a 42-37 lead with 17:25 remaining in regulation. A block by Jayden Quaintance turned into a fast-break jay from the top of the paint by Joson Sanon, extending the Sun Devils lead to 46-39 over the Tommies. Heading into the first media timeout of the half, ASU held a 46-41 lead over St. Thomas with 15:00 remaining.
Amier Ali found Jayden Quaintance wideopen in the corner for a knock-down three to give the Sun Devils a 52-46 lead with 12:31 remaining in regulation. Amier Ali is set to shoot two from the line after the taken media timeout, with ASU still holding onto a 52-46 lead.
BJ Freeman found Amier Ali on the fast-break for a layup under the basket, giving the Sun Devils a 55-48 lead over the Tommies. Following that, St. Thomas was able to score two quick baskets at the rack, forcing ASU to take a timeout to regroup while still holding onto a 55-52 lead with 9:37 remaining in regulation. The Sun Devils and Tommies exchanged points, with the Sun Devils on top holding a 58-55 lead heading into the third media timeout of the half with 7:36 remaining in the half.
A pair of free throws knocked down by Basheer Jihad gave ASU a 63-55 lead with 5:47 left to go in regulation.Joson Sanon and Adam Miller found their groove hitting back-to-back treys, increasing the Sun Devils lead to 69-58 with 4:00 remaining in regulation.
Coming out of the media timeout, ASU came out hot and put together a 9-0 scoring run with the help of a catch-and-shoot by Joson Sanon in the corner, giving ASU a 78-58 lead with 1:53 remaining in the half. The Sun Devils were then able to bleed the clock till the buzzer sounded, with the Sun Devils winning 81-66 over the Tommies.
Up Next
Sun Devil Men's Basketball will be returning to Tempe and Desert Financial Arena where they will host Cal Poly on November 20th at 7 p.m. MST. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN+ and also available on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM (KMVP).
Sun Devils on Social
For exclusive content, the latest updates, and more information on the Sun Devil Men's Basketball program, follow our X/Instagram accounts (@SunDevilHoops), like our Facebook page (facebook.com/SunDevilHoops/), and visit our website (thesundevils.com). Follow Coach Hurley on X (@BobbyHurley11).
Arizona State Head Coach Bobby Hurley
Opening Statement:
"I knew it was gonna be a tough game, knew their style is different. They're a very unique team. They move very fast, they cut, back cut, shoot a lot of threes, a lot of long rebounds, a lot of long possessions on defense. There are easier teams that you most likely could find to buy than this one, particularly with how we started the season with the difficulty of a lot of these games and the emotion involved, certainly the last two prior to tonight. So, just happy to get through the game, glad we got separation. I thought we got the ball inside to Basheer (Jihad) well in the second half when it was still within striking range for them and he did a good job of scoring and getting fouled. But we got to still do better at the turnovers and we just can't turn the ball over like this. And they're not really pressuring us and trying to turn us over. So, this should be a game where we are like under 10 for sure. So, that's something that's been a pattern that we have to kind of correct and fix."
On Jayden Quaintance' performance tonight:
"I'm happy that Ace (Adam Miller) in the first half found him a couple of times. So he's gotta find a way to get him some easy baskets. He hit a three, so I'm glad to see he made his first three as a Sun Devil. He doesn't practice, he just hasn't really connected yet in the games. But besides the points, I love how he was going after the glass and rebounding for us and then just his normal defense was kind of what I'm used to seeing from him from that end of the floor."
On the production from Joson Sanon and the bench overall:
"He looks like he's got that look and he's really confident playing the way I expect him to play. Why we brought him here and why people think he's an NBA prospect, that's what he looks like. He's just a shot, how effortless it is for him to make and I liked his rebounding. He had eight defensive rebounds, which was huge for us. We told our guards they have to rebound because they cut and they like to sneak in their perimeter and get those rebounds. Also, a lot of long rebounds because they're gonna take a lot of threes tonight. So I'm glad Jo (Joson Sanon) played well, because people identify him as this kind of lethal scorer and it's good that he's branching out and doing some other things that we need him to do."
Arizona State Center Jayden Quaintance
On focusing on rebounding in the game:
"I was just trying to play a little harder and make more of an impact on defense. Rebounding was a big part of that. So that was my mindset going into this game, especially being a lot bigger than St. Thomas. That was one of my goals for this game for sure."
On adjusting to college basketball during the first few games of his career:
"Just playing with more confidence, I feel like that's been the biggest part. Just trying to go into the next level and play with a bit more patience, I feel like that's kind of been the main focus for me. I've been kind of playing 100 mph trying to make an impact, and slowing down a little bit has helped me a lot. So that's been the biggest adjustment for sure."
Arizona State Forward Basheer Jihad
On returning to action after an emotional win against GCU:
"It is very difficult but games like this are going to happen. As leaders and as seniors on the team, I think we did a poor job of getting our guys ready. We didn't come out the way we should have to start the second half. It's a little bit harder when you play such a hype game with 13,000 people in attendance and playing GCU. It was very fun, but at the same time you're going to have games like this where you have to win them. You have to lock back in and be mature about it."
On how far the team has come since the Idaho State game:
"After the Idaho State game, there was a lot of doubt in the program internally. I think that's just natural. You go out and lose to Duke by 50, then you play a mid-major team and win by eight. It created some doubt, but we went right back to practice and we knew we were capable of playing a lot better. We knew we had the pieces to be very good, I knew we had that. I was just concerned about how those pieces were going to fit together, and I think it's coming along."
Arizona State (4-1) continued the winning ways of Sun Devil Athletics this weekend, securing a 81-66 victory of their own over St. Thomas (3-2) in the first meeting between the two sides. A pair of second half spurts paved the way for the Sun Devils to take the victory, as an 11-3 scoring run with five minutes remaining and a 9-0 scoring run coming out of the final media timeout sealed the deal.
Four Sun Devils reached double figures tonight - led by senior forward Basheer Jihad - who put up another 20-point effort while also grabbing six boards. Freshman forward Jayden Quaintance put together arguably his best collegiate performance, accounting for 13 points and 14 rebounds on his way to recording his first career double-double. Fellow freshman Joson Sanon shot lights out once again, finishing with 18 points and nine boards while nailing 3-of-5 three pointers. Freshman guard/forward Amier Ali contributed 10 points and two rebounds, meaning 41 of the 81 Sun Devil points and 25 of 44 rebounds came courtesy of the highly-touted freshman class.
4-1 Start
Arizona State starts 4-1 for the first time since the 2022-2023 season and the fourth time under the Bobby Hurley era (2017-18, 2018-19, 2022-23, 2024-25).
Series History
This was the first meeting between the two sides, as St. Thomas joined the Division I ranks prior to the 2021-22 season. The Tommies won 20 games a year ago as members of the Summit League.
Defending without Fouling
The Sun Devils only committed seven personal fouls tonight, marking the fewest personal fouls by ASU in a game since being called for seven personal fouls in a 68-52 win over Coppin State on Dec. 29, 2012. The five free throws by the Tommies were their lowest since they shot 4-of-5 against North Dakota on December 29, 2023. The last time they made three free throws or less dates back to November 6, 2023 when they shot 2-of-3 against Cal.
Owning the Glass
The Sun Devils out rebounded the Tommies 44-29, marking the largest rebound margin difference since ASU out rebounded Tarleton State 54-39 in the 2022 season opener (Nov. 7).
Taming the Tommies
St. Thomas came into the game averaging 89.8 points per game while shooting 50.6% overall and 43.2% from deep. Arizona State held the Tommies to only 66 points on 39.4% overall shooting and 29.7% from three.
Aggressiveness Rewarded
Arizona State shot 26 free throws compared to only 5 for St. Thomas. It is the largest free throw attempt difference since a 22 free-throw difference (43-19) in a 73-72 win over SMU on December 6, 2023.
Holding their Star in Check
St. Thomas forward Carter Bjerke shot 47-of-101 (45.6%) from deep in 33 games last year and came into the game shooting 9-of-20 (45%) on three-pointers. Arizona State held him to just 2-of-8 (25%) from beyond the arc.
Ba-Sheer Force
In his first two games, Basheer Jihad combined for five points on 1-of-10 shooting. Over his past three games, Jihad has accumulated 57 points on 16-of-30 (.53%) shooting . He is also 23-for-28 (82.1%) from the free throw line during that span.
80-point Streak
For the first time since the 2017-18 season, Arizona State has reached the 80-point mark in four straight games. That season, Arizona State did it in six straight games, including a win over No. 15 Xavier. That 2017-18 team went on to make the NCAA Tournament.
2024-25 (4 Games)
Arizona State 81, Santa Clara 74
Arizona State 80, Gonzaga 88
Arizona State 87, GCU 76
Arizona State 81, St. Thomas 66
2017-18 (6 Games)
Arizona State 94, Idaho State 74
Arizona State 90, San Diego State 68
Arizona State 97, NAU 62
Arizona State 99, UC Irvine 78
Arizona State 92, Kansas State 90
Arizona State 102, #15 Xavier 86
Hit the Mark
The Sun Devils shot 50% (27/54) from the field tonight. ASU is now 49-4 (.924) when it shoots 50 percent or better from the field under Bobby Hurley
2024-25: 2-0
2023-24: 4-1
2022-23: 6-0
2021-22: 2-1
2020-21: 5-1
2019-20: 4-0
2018-19: 9-0
2017-18: 10-0
2016-17: 4-0
2015-16: 3-0
Get Acquainted
Freshman Jayden Quaintance stuffed the stat sheet in Arizona State's win over St. Thomas. He finished with 13 points, 14 rebounds, four blocks, four assists, and a steal while shooting 6-of-9 from the field. The 14 boards are the most by a Sun Devil since Warren Washington had 14 against Texas Southern on 11/13/22. He joins Basheer Jihad (at Gonzaga) as the only Sun Devils to record a double-double this season. It is his second 4+ block performance of the seaons and he now leads the nation with 17 blocks through five games.
First Half:
BJ Freeman backed his man down to the paint and had an easy look for a layup opportunity at the glass to give the Sun Devils their first points of the night, trailing 3–2 to the Tommies. Alston Mason took advantage of the fast-break and found Joson Sanon on the wing for a knock-down three to give ASU their first lead of the night, leading 8-6 over St. Thomas with 15:49 remaining in the first half.
Coming out of the media timeout, the Tommies seemed to have found their rhythm with back-door cuts to the rack, giving them a 16-13 lead over the Sun Devils with 12:55 remaining.
Alston Mason was able to knock down a shot beyond the arc to bring ASU's deficit within one, trailing 19-18 to St. Thomas with 8:47 remaining. Adam Miller is set to shoot two at the line once they return from the media timeout to potentially retain the lead.
Amier Ali took control off a loose-ball steal and took it to the rack for an easy layup, giving the Sun Devils a 21-19 lead with 7:42 remaining. Basheer Jihad was able to knock one down at the top of the arc, giving ASU their biggest lead of the night, leading 26-21 over St. Thomas. Heading into the last media timeout of the half, the Sun Devils held a 31-26 lead over the Tommies with 2:25 left to play.
Adam Miller found Jayden Quaintance rolling on pick-and-roll for an easy one-hand slam, increasing ASU's lead to 33-26 over St. Thomas with 1:42 remaining in the half. Once again, Adam Miller found Jayden Quaintance cutting to the hoop for a grown man two-hand slam with three seconds remaining in the half. The Sun Devils head into halftime with a 39-29 lead over the Tommies.
Second Half:
St. Thomas jumped out of the gate coming out of halftime and managed to put together a 8-0 scoring run, but Basheer Jihad was able to turn a layup into an and-1 opportunity, giving ASU a 42-37 lead with 17:25 remaining in regulation. A block by Jayden Quaintance turned into a fast-break jay from the top of the paint by Joson Sanon, extending the Sun Devils lead to 46-39 over the Tommies. Heading into the first media timeout of the half, ASU held a 46-41 lead over St. Thomas with 15:00 remaining.
Amier Ali found Jayden Quaintance wideopen in the corner for a knock-down three to give the Sun Devils a 52-46 lead with 12:31 remaining in regulation. Amier Ali is set to shoot two from the line after the taken media timeout, with ASU still holding onto a 52-46 lead.
BJ Freeman found Amier Ali on the fast-break for a layup under the basket, giving the Sun Devils a 55-48 lead over the Tommies. Following that, St. Thomas was able to score two quick baskets at the rack, forcing ASU to take a timeout to regroup while still holding onto a 55-52 lead with 9:37 remaining in regulation. The Sun Devils and Tommies exchanged points, with the Sun Devils on top holding a 58-55 lead heading into the third media timeout of the half with 7:36 remaining in the half.
A pair of free throws knocked down by Basheer Jihad gave ASU a 63-55 lead with 5:47 left to go in regulation.Joson Sanon and Adam Miller found their groove hitting back-to-back treys, increasing the Sun Devils lead to 69-58 with 4:00 remaining in regulation.
Coming out of the media timeout, ASU came out hot and put together a 9-0 scoring run with the help of a catch-and-shoot by Joson Sanon in the corner, giving ASU a 78-58 lead with 1:53 remaining in the half. The Sun Devils were then able to bleed the clock till the buzzer sounded, with the Sun Devils winning 81-66 over the Tommies.
Up Next
Sun Devil Men's Basketball will be returning to Tempe and Desert Financial Arena where they will host Cal Poly on November 20th at 7 p.m. MST. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN+ and also available on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM (KMVP).
Sun Devils on Social
For exclusive content, the latest updates, and more information on the Sun Devil Men's Basketball program, follow our X/Instagram accounts (@SunDevilHoops), like our Facebook page (facebook.com/SunDevilHoops/), and visit our website (thesundevils.com). Follow Coach Hurley on X (@BobbyHurley11).
Arizona State Head Coach Bobby Hurley
Opening Statement:
"I knew it was gonna be a tough game, knew their style is different. They're a very unique team. They move very fast, they cut, back cut, shoot a lot of threes, a lot of long rebounds, a lot of long possessions on defense. There are easier teams that you most likely could find to buy than this one, particularly with how we started the season with the difficulty of a lot of these games and the emotion involved, certainly the last two prior to tonight. So, just happy to get through the game, glad we got separation. I thought we got the ball inside to Basheer (Jihad) well in the second half when it was still within striking range for them and he did a good job of scoring and getting fouled. But we got to still do better at the turnovers and we just can't turn the ball over like this. And they're not really pressuring us and trying to turn us over. So, this should be a game where we are like under 10 for sure. So, that's something that's been a pattern that we have to kind of correct and fix."
On Jayden Quaintance' performance tonight:
"I'm happy that Ace (Adam Miller) in the first half found him a couple of times. So he's gotta find a way to get him some easy baskets. He hit a three, so I'm glad to see he made his first three as a Sun Devil. He doesn't practice, he just hasn't really connected yet in the games. But besides the points, I love how he was going after the glass and rebounding for us and then just his normal defense was kind of what I'm used to seeing from him from that end of the floor."
On the production from Joson Sanon and the bench overall:
"He looks like he's got that look and he's really confident playing the way I expect him to play. Why we brought him here and why people think he's an NBA prospect, that's what he looks like. He's just a shot, how effortless it is for him to make and I liked his rebounding. He had eight defensive rebounds, which was huge for us. We told our guards they have to rebound because they cut and they like to sneak in their perimeter and get those rebounds. Also, a lot of long rebounds because they're gonna take a lot of threes tonight. So I'm glad Jo (Joson Sanon) played well, because people identify him as this kind of lethal scorer and it's good that he's branching out and doing some other things that we need him to do."
Arizona State Center Jayden Quaintance
On focusing on rebounding in the game:
"I was just trying to play a little harder and make more of an impact on defense. Rebounding was a big part of that. So that was my mindset going into this game, especially being a lot bigger than St. Thomas. That was one of my goals for this game for sure."
On adjusting to college basketball during the first few games of his career:
"Just playing with more confidence, I feel like that's been the biggest part. Just trying to go into the next level and play with a bit more patience, I feel like that's kind of been the main focus for me. I've been kind of playing 100 mph trying to make an impact, and slowing down a little bit has helped me a lot. So that's been the biggest adjustment for sure."
Arizona State Forward Basheer Jihad
On returning to action after an emotional win against GCU:
"It is very difficult but games like this are going to happen. As leaders and as seniors on the team, I think we did a poor job of getting our guys ready. We didn't come out the way we should have to start the second half. It's a little bit harder when you play such a hype game with 13,000 people in attendance and playing GCU. It was very fun, but at the same time you're going to have games like this where you have to win them. You have to lock back in and be mature about it."
On how far the team has come since the Idaho State game:
"After the Idaho State game, there was a lot of doubt in the program internally. I think that's just natural. You go out and lose to Duke by 50, then you play a mid-major team and win by eight. It created some doubt, but we went right back to practice and we knew we were capable of playing a lot better. We knew we had the pieces to be very good, I knew we had that. I was just concerned about how those pieces were going to fit together, and I think it's coming along."