Arizona State looks to build on balanced offensive attack

In Arizona State’s first two wins, it was Luguentz Dort and everyone else. The freshman scored 28 and 25 points, respectively, and he led the Sun Devils in scoring both games.

But Monday’s 90-58 win over Long Beach State was different.

Dort once again hit double digits, scoring 12 points, but he wasn’t the leader of the offensive charge this game. All five starters and De’Quon Lake scored at least 12 points each.

“(It was) just a very good balance on offense,” ASU head coach Bobby Hurley said. “Six guys in double (figures) is what you hope for.”

Six players in double figures was the most in Arizona State’s first three games. Against Cal State Fullerton, five players scored at least 10, and only three did so against McNeese State.

Forward Romello White, who scored 12 points, said he expects widespread scoring efforts to be a pattern this year.

“I feel like we’re capable of doing that every game,” White said. “Nobody on the team is selfish, everybody on the team gives each other a look.

“There will be plenty of games where a lot of people have double figures.”

Leading the ASU scoring effort was sophomore guard Remy Martin. After an ankle injury forced him to come off the bench in the opener, Martin scored a team-high 15 points against the 49ers.

But Martin said he wasn’t focused on his personal stats. Rather, he was pleased because of the team’s 90-point surge.

“As long as we win and we win it the right way,” Martin said. “I don’t care about points.”

Last year, the team’s identity was found in the backcourt, and particularly, beyond the arc. That’s no longer the case.

This year’s team will have more of a defensive focus won’t live and die by the three-pointer as it did a year ago. But that doesn’t mean the Sun Devils won’t score.

“When we don’t focus on scoring, we tend to score just off our defense,” White said. “When we get stops, we get on the break, and teams can’t really stick with us.”

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