Arizona State remains unbeaten behind Murauskas’ dominant performance

Louisiana-Monroe started off the game looking to give Arizona State a scare, but the Sun Devils quickly asserted their dominance, in large part thanks to Paulius Murauskas.

Murauskas finished with 31 points and 13 rebounds, as the Sun Devils beat Louisiana-Monroe 92-62 on Friday to remain unbeaten.

Arizona State head coach Randy Bennett was asked how much he trusts Murauskas as a leader during the games.

“My rule of thumb is, when I don’t have to talk to them during the games, they’ve gotten good,” Bennett said. “That’s kind of where I am with Paulius. It wasn’t always like that, but I just let him play. He knows what he’s doing.”

Murauskas came just three points shy of a new career high, which would have broken the mark he set earlier this season, a 33-point performance against Northern Colorado.

When asked if he was attempting to break his career high, he replied briefly: “Not really, no.”

Point guard Joel Foxwell attributed the Sun Devils’ slow start to not seeing a lot of zone defense so far this season, but it didn’t take them long before their offense got settled in.

While Murauskas was the star of the show, it was a balanced effort for the Sun Devils.

Foxwell tied a season-high with 16 points and had a season-high with nine assists. Guard Bryce Ford had the highlight of the night when he spun past a defender and threw down a left-handed poster dunk.

OH MY GOODNESS BRYCE FORD 😤

📺 ESPN+

#ForksUp /// @BryceFord21 https://t.co/sMRwprYrIl

— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) November 14, 2026

Bennett praised both Ford and JRob Croy’s bench abilities, stating how much of a luxury it is to have that level of shotmaking from your role players.

“They bring energy because they can make shots,” Bennett said. “That’s the advantage of having good shooters. And they are that.”

The 62 points scored by Louisiana-Monroe is the lowest amount of points the Sun Devils have given up all season. They held the Warhawks to 33.9% from the field and 33.3% from distance.

They also scored 25 points off of 14 Warhawk turnovers, a stat that impressed Bennett.

Louisiana-Monroe’s main scorer, Dayjaun Anderson scored 17 points, but a lot of it was in garbage time. Arizona State’s defense did a good job forcing him into tough shots for the majority of the game.

To cap off his post-game presser, Bennett was asked where Murauskas ranks among players he’s coached.

“At his position, I would say he’s the best,” Bennett said. “I’ve had some really good guards and fives, but as far as a four, he’s the best one.”

The Sun Devils’ next contest will be against the winless Oakland Golden Grizzlies on Wednesday at 7 p.m. MST.

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