After an impressive debut performance on Tuesday, Nov. 4, freshman center Massamba Diop had another game-ball worthy performance. In the season-opening win against Southern Utah, Diop scored 14 points on an efficient 6-for-8 shooting in 27 minutes of play.

On Sunday, Nov. 9, Diop led the Sun Devils in scoring with 18 points on 7-for-12 shooting and his first made three-point field goals of his collegiate career — two of them. Diop added six rebounds and an assist in his 31 minutes of game time.

Diop was one of four Sun Devils who scored in double figures against Utah Tech. Senior guard Maurice Odum had 14 points, and graduate student forward Allen Mukeba had 10 points.

Redshirt sophomore Santiago Trouet was the final double-digit point scorer with 13, along with 10 rebounds and three assists in 26 minutes.

The Sun Devils’ defense held the Trail Blazers to 25 first-half points on 10-for-29 shooting and forced 10 turnovers, closing out the first half on a 17-9 run to take a 14-point lead.

On the other side of the ball, a majority of ASU’s 39 first-half points came from its 18 points in the paint, with the defensive effort showing on the offensive end with 11 points off turnovers. The Sun Devils shot 15-for-32 with Diop scoring a team-high 12 first-half points

The offensive production for ASU continued into the second half as Trouet scored six points in the first four minutes of the second half, maintaining a 13-point lead at the first timeout.

While ASU’s offense kept attacking, the Trail Blazers didn’t fold and scored 21 points in the first 10 minutes of the second half. However, the Sun Devils went on a 14-6 run to take an 18-point lead at the four-minute timeout.

Despite being down by as much as 23 at one point in the second half, Utah Tech rallied after the timeout to cut the ASU lead to just 10 with two minutes left in the game.

After allowing the Trail Blazers a chance to get back into the game, the Sun Devils’ defense showcased their first-half execution by not allowing a single made field goal in the final 2:38 of the game to secure an 81-66 win.

In addition to the Sun Devil defense holding the Utah Tech offense to just 22-for-55 shooting, a significant factor in their win was the ability to play complementary basketball, forcing 16 turnovers and capitalizing on extra possessions, scoring 19 points off turnovers.

Utah Tech travels to Honolulu to participate in the OUTRIGGER Rainbow Classic on Wednesday, Nov. 12, when it faces Manhattan.

ASU stays home for its third consecutive game, as it will host No. 24 Gonzaga Bulldogs on Friday, Nov. 14.