ASU men’s basketball outlasts GCU in dogfight at Footprint Center

PHOENIX — ASU men’s basketball came out on top of GCU, 87-76, in a hard-fought win in front of a packed Footprint Center on Thursday.

All of ASU’s games to this point have been dogfights, and this was no different with 41 fouls called in the game and no double-digit lead to be had for either side until the Sun Devils took control late.

ASU (3-1) used a 17-8 run in the middle of the second half that included two 3s by freshman guard Joson Sanon and five points from point guard Alston Mason to gain separation.

Late in the first half, Sanon rattled off a 13-point run over a six-minute stretch, marking a new career high in his fourth game before halftime. He would finish with 21 points.

Putting on a Clinic 🫡@joson_sanon /// @hofseries pic.twitter.com/z9YzMNGsaK

— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) November 15, 2024

He had five of his team’s 11 made 3s, good for the second-most the Sun Devils have hit this season (15 vs. Santa Clara).

Sanon also had admirable defensive moments against GCU star wing Tyon Grant-Foster, who had 19 points and four steals in his season debut. Grant-Foster had nine points over Sanon’s 13-point stretch, as the two kept their respective offenses afloat in the early going.

BJ Freeman, who led ASU in scoring over the first three games (13.7), was inefficient overall but broke a drought of more than three minutes without a made bucket by ASU with a 3-pointer late. He scored nine points in the win.

ASU freshman big man Jayden Quaintance delivered the exclamation point on the victory, adjusting to a Grant-Foster spin move and blocking the layup attempt in the final 75 seconds.

Both teams return to their respective homes, with ASU facing off against St. Thomas (MN) on Sunday at 6 p.m. MST while the ‘Lopes play next on Wednesday against UC Davis at 7 p.m.

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