Men's Basketball moves to 8-2 with win over NAU

Freshman center Massamba Diop had his best offensive game as a Sun Devil, impressing with his touch and finishing ability around the rim. He finished with a career-high 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting while adding six rebounds and three assists in 24 minutes. He was not alone in causing NAU problems, as the entire frontline feasted on the undersized visitors. Redshirt sophomore forward Santiago Trouet delivered another productive effort, contributing 12 points and eight rebounds. Graduate student forward Allen Mukeba came off the bench to score 10 points and grab six boards. The Sun Devils outscored the Lumberjacks 40-22 in the paint.

Despite an atypical scoring night for senior guard Moe Odum, he still managed to find ways to impact the game. He had five assists, three rebounds, and a steal to end +20 in the box score. Senior guard Anthony "Pig" Johnson's presence was felt in several aspects of the game, as he came through with nine points, four rebounds, three assists, and a steal. Redshirt sophomore Marcus Adams Jr. continued his emergence since returning from Hawai'i with an eight-point, four-rebound output off the bench.

Arizona State has now won eight of their first ten games for the fifth time in the Bobby Hurley era. They will return to familiar territory to take on a familiar face on Saturday when they face Santa Clara in Las Vegas on Dec. 13 at 5 p.m MST. Tickets for the game at Lee's Family Forum are on sale now. Outside of Arizona (109 wins) and California (16 wins), Nevada (13 wins) is the state that Hurley has the most wins in as the head coach.

Series history
Arizona State continues their success in the series with Northern Arizona. In the 140th meeting between the two programs, the Sun Devils captured their 81st victory. It is their most all-time against a non-conference opponent. Hurley moves to 3-0 against NAU at the helm in Tempe.

Tuesday Dub 🔱 pic.twitter.com/bTJBm5QPsd

— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) December 10, 2025

8-2 start
The Sun Devils have started 8-2 or better for the second consecutive season. It is their fifth 8-2 start or better in the Bobby Hurley era. Four of their wins to start off 2025-26 have come away from home (3 neutral, 1 road). The 8-2 start comes against the nation's 43rd-strongest schedule according to ESPN, who has ASU slotted at 30 in their latest Strength of Record metric with two Quad 1 wins credited (Texas, Oklahoma).

Bench boost
Arizona State's bench continues their dominant stretch, delivering arguably their best game of the season in the win over NAU. After a 33-3 edge in bench points tonight, the Sun Devils now hold a 282-191 (+91) advantage in bench points this season. The +30 margin in the category is a new season high. They have outscored their opponent off the bench in eight of ten games (all eight wins).

Mukeba led the way with his third game in double figures this season, scoring 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting and adding six rebounds in 20 minutes. Adams Jr. was effective for a second straight contest, rewarding Coach Hurley's trust with eight points and four rebounds in 21 minutes. Johnson (9 points) and Meeusen (5 points) each had an impact defensively, with five of the team's six steals coming from the bench unit.

Chopping down the Lumberjacks
ASU held NAU to their lowest score all season (48), with the previous low coming in their matchup with Arizona (49). This was the Lumberjacks' lowest 3PT% of the season (19.2%) and their second-lowest FG% (33.3%).

ASU completely neutralized the combined backcourt threat of Ryan Ableman and Arne Osjonik for NAU, holding them to a combined 12 points. They finished 4-of-18 (22.2%) from the field and a mere 2-of-11 (18%) from the three. Coming into the night, they averaged a combined 22.4 points per game and shot over 40%.

Getting defensive
The Sun Devil defense has flipped a switch since coming back from Hawai'i. At the Maui Invitational, opponents shot a combined 93-for-167 (55.69%) from the field and 29-for-68 (42.65%) from deep. In the two games since returning, opponents are combining to shoot just 39-of-114 (34.2%) overall and 15-of-62 (24.19%) from behind the arc.

Second half shutdown
The Sun Devil defense proved to be too much for the Lumberjacks to handle down the stretch. NAU shot just 25.9% (7-for-27) from the field and 2-for-15 (13.3%) from three-point range. Meanwhile, the Sun Devils shot 50% (26-of-52) from the field. ASU also outrebounded NAU 24-11 and had a 20-6 advantage in free-throw attempts over the final 20 minutes.

Cleaning the glass
The Sun Devils controlled the backboards against the Lumberjacks, a key to the victory. ASU had a 41-25 on Tuesday night and allowed only two second-chance points. The 16-board difference was the largest margin of the season for ASU and the biggest deficit for NAU as well. The Sun Devils also held the Lumberjacks to a season-low 25 rebounds, which is also the fewest an ASU opponent has had in a game this season.

M.A.J.
Through his first eight games, Marcus Adams Jr. accounted for a combined 16 points, averaging just 2.0 points per contest. In his last two matchups, he has accumulated 19 points, good for 9.5 points per game. After going just 1-of-10 from distance in those first eight games, he is 5-for-8 in his last two games. The Sun Devils are 2-0 with an average margin of victory of 20.5 points during Adams Jr.'s resurgence.

Massamba making his mark
Diop was brilliant offensively against the Lumberjacks, finishing with a new career-high 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting. He added six rebounds and a season-high three assists in his 24 minutes of action. The seven-footer added to his team-leading block total (now 15) and continues to protect the rim without fouling. Through 10 games, Diop has committed only 19 personal fouls.

Notables

• The Sun Devils were too much for the Lumberjacks in the paint, outscoring NAU 40-22 inside.
• NAU shot just 33% from the field, making this the second game in a row the Sun Devils have held their opponent to a below 35 shooting percentage.
•  The Sun Devils had the advantage in rebounds (41-25) and assists (15-8).
• While both teams turned the ball over 13 times each, ASU outscored NAU 23-12 off turnovers.
• The Sun Devils pulled away in the second half, outscoring the Lumberjacks 19-2 over a 7:30 span, taking a five-point lead up to 22.
• ASU dominated off the bench with 33 points from the second unit, contrasting with NAU’s mere three.
• Arizona State improves to 87-37 (70.2%) in non-conference games under Bobby Hurley. They have won at least eight non-conference games in seven of his 11 seasons.
• ASU is 52-6 (.896) when it shoots 50 percent from the field under Bobby Hurley. They are now 2-0 when it has happened this season, with wins over Washington State and NAU.
•  Odum finished with five assists and now has 5+ assists in eight of ten games this season.
• After finishing with a career-high five steals in the win over Oklahoma, Bryce Ford backed that up with a career-best two blocks in the win over NAU.
• The 10 personal fouls committed by the Sun Devils is the lowest allowed this season. The previous low was 14 personals committed in the season opener vs Southern Utah.
• In three of four home wins, ASU has led for at least 37 minutes in the game (Utah Tech, Southern Utah, NAU).
• Andrija Grbovic contributed a career-best six rebounds, one of four Sun Devils with six or more (Mukeba, Diop, Trouet).
  
  

   

   

   

   

   

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  First half
  Trouet opened the Tuesday night showdown with a bucket inside on the first possession of the game, and was quickly followed by a three from Odum.
  
  The Sun Devils led by nine after the first five minutes of action, getting Diop open looks in the paint, but the Lumberjacks didn’t flinch, going on a 12-2 run to retake the lead. After back-and-forth scoring at the midway point in the half, ASU went on an 11-2 run of its own to make it 27-16.
  
  Diop was a force in the paint, contributing 12 of the Sun Devils’ 22 points in the lane on 6-7 shooting. Meussen contributed five of the thirteen bench points, an advantage over NAU’s three bench points. 
  
  The Sun Devils were an even 50% in the field above NAU’s 41.7%, to finish the first half while also leading for just under 19 minutes in the contest. ASU led 35-26 heading into halftime.
  

  Happy to have @ASUCoachCharli at our game tonight 😈 pic.twitter.com/pDx1K3U4Ed

  — Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) December 10, 2025

  Second half
  ASU took a second to find its rhythm early in the second half, but two Diop free throws and a triple from Anthony Johnson helped push the lead to double digits. Johnson didn’t stop there with a three-point play on the driving layup. A one-handed dunk from Mukeba off an NAU turnover extended the lead to 48-30, forcing a Lumberjacks timeout.

  After surrendering the first four points of the second half, the Sun Devils’ pesky defense locked in, holding the Lumberjacks off the board for almost five minutes. Andrija Grbovic contributed greatly with six defensive rebounds, a career high for the Junior forward.
  
  The Sun Devils helped establish a dominant advantage with free throws from Best, Adams Jr, and Mukeba, to lead by 20. Adams Jr. held his presence on the paint with a three-point jumper, his second three of the night. Diop was all over the paint scoring back-to-back for ASU with a tip-in layup and dunk, setting his season high of 19 points tonight and extending the lead to 67-41. Free throws from Trouet, Ford, and Odum closed out the win for ASU, 73-48.

Quotables
Arizona State Head Coach Bobby Hurley
Opening statement
“It was great to get the win. It certainly wasn't our best performance. I always worry about that. Coming off Saturday, playing an emotional game at (Mortgage Matchup Center) against a big, SEC team like Oklahoma and playing as well as we did to be ready to answer the bell again in a couple of days. The first half was shaky. Our bench was kind of the opposite of what they were on Saturday when they went in during the first half and didn't perform at the level that they did on Saturday, but I thought the inside play was really the difference. I don't think we did it enough (in the paint), even though obviously Santi (Santiago Trouet), Allen (Mukeba), and Massamba (Diop) were all very productive on the offensive end. We’ve been a low-turnover team all year, and I think it’s one of the better things that we do, but we really didn’t take care of the ball, so that was frustrating as well. The positive side is that Moe (Odum) wasn’t anything like Moe usually is at all. He just had one of those games, but we were able to survive more than that in this particular game.”

On Moe Odum’s impact in a game in which he struggled
“It wasn't his night. He was fighting it and trying to find it, but he couldn't find it. That’s the first time since he's been here that he’s looked like that. Coach (Jerrance) Howard brought up a great point in the locker room that you could never tell that he was having that kind of game if you were on the bench, watching. He was interacting with his teammates in huddles, and when he wasn’t in the game, he was supporting his teammates. That’s what a real leader does. He doesn't get hung up on his own personal success and allows that to determine his attitude. He did a very good job in that regard, being a leader tonight.”

On the team through its first 10 games
“We’re feisty. We’re resilient. We’ve had a bunch of games that we've been down and fought back and found a way to win. We’ve now had two games where we’ve gotten serious separation in the game. Our defense has been improving over the last two games, and that was very necessary coming out of Hawaii because our offense was making very good progress, but our defense and rebounding needed to catch up. To out-rebound them was great because that's something that’s hurt us throughout the year.”

Graduate forward Allen Mukeba
On the cohesiveness of this team
“It’s always great to see the progress. As Marcus said, we were out for a long time, and we just came back and tried to mesh with them. Our priority was really being back in shape. What we have going on right now is just amazing. I feel that we can be so special. We’re just giving it our all and we will do what we got to do.”

On ASU receiving votes in the AP Top-25 Poll
“We’re just here to play ball. It doesn’t matter; it’s just rankings. We came from mid-majors, all of us, junior colleges, NAIA… We just got that chip on our shoulders. We’re going to get more votes. Once Big 12 play starts and we are undefeated this December, we are going to get many more votes.”

Redshirt sophomore forward Marcus Adams Jr.
On the rebounding effort
“We just didn’t want to lose. We had the Maui Championship, but we just lost because of rebounds and effort. We’ve been doing a drill where coach throws and we have to fight each other and box each other out to rebound the ball. We’ve just really been working and pushing each other to get rebounds so we can just close out ball games.”

On looking ahead in non-conference play
“We want to be undefeated in December. That’s the goal we set as a team. We got Santa Clara next, UCLA and Oregon State. We want to beat those three teams and go into Big 12 play with a good head on our shoulders.”

Up next
Sun Devil Men’s Basketball heads to Las Vegas to participate in the Jack Jones Hoops Classic for the second consecutive year. Arizona State will take on Santa Clara on Dec. 13 at 5 p.m. MST in the third of a four-game session at Lee’s Family Forum. The broadcast can be found on TNT Sports/Tru TV, with the game also available on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM (KMVP). 

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Head coach Bobby Hurley (X: @BobbyHurley11)