TEMPE — Freshman Massamba Diop’s ability to attack the rim led ASU men’s basketball to a 73-48 win over in-state rivals Northern Arizona on Tuesday.
Winners of six of their past seven, the Sun Devils improved to 8-2 on the season and 4-1 at home.
Diop finished with a game-high and season-high 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting to go along with six rebounds, three assists and a block. The freshman from Senegal’s previous season-high of 18 points came during the second game of the season against Utah Tech.
From the onset, the Sun Devils worked the ball repeatedly inside to Diop to take full advantage of the size advantage they carried against the Lumberjacks.
NAU only has one player who is at least 7-foot-1 and struggled to defend the larger Diop.
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ASU finished with 40 points in the paint as the Sun Devils shot 20-for-33 on 2-point field goals and just 6-for-19 from 3.
Despite his large stature, Diop displayed his ability to dribble down the floor with ease, offering Sun Devil fans a glimpse of what the future holds.
Diop, the team’s third-leading scorer after Moe Odum and Anthony “Pig” Johnson, reached his season average of 11.8 points per game in the first half when he had 12. Odum and Johnson both got off to slow starts and did not look to shoot.
Odum went scoreless in the first half on three attempts and Johnson was held to three points on four field goals.
Odum, the Sun Devils’ leading scorer at 18.9 points per game on 13.2 shots, finished with a season-low two points on a season-low four shots.
His first points came from two free throws with 30 seconds left.
The senior from the Bronx took just one shot in the second half and passed up a handful of open looks.
ASU uses key runs on each side of halftime to go up big
After a tight start, the Sun Devils closed the first half on an 8-2 run as Northern Arizona went the last 3:55 without a field goal to lead 35-26 at the half.
ASU then went on a 13-0 run early in the second half to build its lead to 48-30, taking full advantage of NAU turning the ball over in abundance.
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The Sun Devils finished the game with 23 points off 13 turnovers from the Lumberjacks. NAU’s offense also struggled during that stretch as it went on a scoring drought of 4:19 and missed six shots in a row.
With Diop on the bench for a large stretch in the second half, senior Allen Mukeba and redshirt sophomore Santiago Trouet stepped up to score 16 points in the second half.
ASU will next host Santa Clara on Saturday at 5 p.m. on a nationally televised game on TNT.
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