D.J. Horne’s shooting rebounds in ASU basketball’s win vs North Florida

Sophomore guard D.J. Horne’s first start for Arizona State on Monday night could not have gone any better.

Horne made 6 of 9 shots from the field, including 4-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc, in leading ASU to a 72-63 win over North Florida. His field goals and three-point field goals made, as well as his 16 points, were all season-highs.

Horne provided the Sun Devils with their only reliable three-point shooter in the first half. He made 3 of 4 three-point attempts in the half. The rest of the team only made 2 of 9 attempts.

Monday marked a rebound for the entire team, but especially for the Illinois State transfer guard. Horne made only 1 of 7 shots from the field in ASU’s 66-65 loss on a buzzer-beater to UC Riverside on Thursday.

“Being a shooter, you have to have a short memory,” Horne told the Pac-12 Network following Monday’s game. “That’s what I try to tell myself going into every game. Whether I played bad the last game or good the last game, it’s about being consistent. Not every game is going to go your way, so just to have a short memory and come back ready to play for the next game.”

Horne got the opportunity to start for the Sun Devils after guard Luther Muhammad was suspended from Monday’s game because of a violation of team rules.

ASU head coach Bobby Hurley said Horne’s shooting was more like the shooting that he saw in the summer and early in the fall. However, putting the ball in the basket is not the only attribute he brings to the floor.

“Guys expect him to make shots if he has an opening,” Hurley told reporters after the game. “He’s more than just a shooter. He can put it on the floor and he’s a playmaker.”

Horne’s defensive pressure also improved, something that he said was a key after Thursday’s loss.

“The last game, we came out flat and the team punched us in the mouth, so we wanted to come out and do the opposite to them tonight,” Horne said.