An inability to finish off opponents in the second half has yet to haunt Arizona State. Hofstra hasn’t been nearly as fortunate.
The Sun Devils will continue a season-opening five-game homestand on Tuesday when they host the Pride in Tempe, Ariz.
Arizona State (2-0) last played Friday, when it cruised to a 90-63 win over Northern Colorado.
Hofstra (1-1) has been off since Thursday, when it squandered a nine-point lead in the final 1:31 of a 60-58 loss at Princeton.
The Sun Devils ended any upset hopes by Northern Colorado by finishing the first half on a 36-14 run to take a 48-26 lead. They led by at least 16 the rest of the way.
But the competitive second half by a mid-major foe continued an early trend for Arizona State, which outscored East Tennessee State by just four points in the second half of a 75-65 win on Nov. 2.
“It’s good to get separation,” said Arizona State coach Randy Bennett, who is in his first season with the Sun Devils after 25 years at Saint Mary’s.
“Little steps we’re making. One of them is learning how to do that — get a lead, stretch the lead and stretch the lead and just never have a run where they cut it and make it close.”
Hofstra finished with 18 turnovers — its most since Nov. 19, 2024, when the Pride had 20 in a 79-61 loss to Florida State.
“It was the turnovers that cost us, especially late in the game,” said sixth-year Hofstra coach Speedy Claxton. “That’s one that I wish we could have back.”
Paulius Murauskas, who played the previous two seasons at Saint Mary’s, leads Arizona State with 27.0 points per game.
Dillan Shaw, another Saint Mary’s transfer, is averaging 10.5 points and a team-high 9.0 rebounds while Joel Foxwell adds 11.0 points and leads the Sun Devils with 6.5 assists per game.
Tanner Thomas and Trey Boyd III are each averaging 12.0 points for Hofstra, which returned one player (Joshua DeCady) who saw action with last year’s NCAA Tournament team.
Thomas leads the Pride with 8.0 rebounds per game. Nick Jefferson is averaging 10.5 points and shares the team lead in assists with Justin Moore (4.0).
