Frankie Collins shines in Arizona State’s victory over San Fransisco

TEMPE — Fans may remember San Fransisco’s dominant showing over Arizona State men’s basketball on Dec. 21, 2022.

A 97-60 blowout that dampened the then-No. 25 Sun Devils’ 11-1 start and holiday spirit.

Nonetheless, the Sun Devils (5-2) got their revenge over San Fransisco (5-3) on Sunday, defeating the Dons 72-61 in an impressive showing from both sides of the ball.

“Really solid performance,” head coach Bobby Hurley said. “First half, really good defense, great energy on defense. We knew they’re a precision offensive team that if you give them clean looks, they could really hurt you from three.”

Strong performances from team veterans Frankie Collins, Jamiya Neal and Alonzo Gaffney led their team to its third straight double-digit win.

Have a day, Frankie Collins

Collins’ production all around proved pivotal for the team in the long run.

Threes from Collins and Neal sparked an 8-0 lead to open the game. A lead that would stay in the Sun Devils’ favor all throughout.

“Frankie was great,” Hurley said. “The thing I liked about Frankie and Jamiya is they had 19 defensive rebounds between the two of them. So, when your front court is going through an injury crisis, which we are, it was very difficult because we have key players out. Those guys did a good job of just getting in there.”

Collins led the team with 21 points, shooting 64% from the field and 67% from beyond the arc. The junior had eight rebounds, three assists and led the team with three steals and two blocks.

“He doesn’t hang his hat on making shots,” Hurley said. “His perimeter shot was very good today. He made it from distance, he hit it against the one inside the arc, he made his free throws which was fantastic.”

Defense flourishes once again

Arizona State’s defense was aggressive right out of the gate, recording five steals among nine turnovers in the first half.

The Sun Devils held the Dons to just 36.5% from the field and 16.7% from three. It was the lowest three-point percentage by an opponent so far in 2023-24.

The team’s biggest struggle? Defending San Fransisco forward Jonathan Mogbo.

Mogbo accounted for 23 of the Dons’ 61 points, shooting an impressive 82% from the field while leading the team with 16 rebounds.

“He’s a handful,” Hurley said. “He doesn’t take a shot that he can’t make. He was really impressive, and he was impressive on the film in the games that I watched. So he was a tough guard for us. But outside of that, I thought across the board we were really solid.”

Less fouls, more free throws

The Sun Devils recorded just 15 fouls on Sunday, the lowest in any game this season.

Although Arizona State forward Bryant Selebangue fouled out with 3:53 remaining in the game, the Sun Devils improved on limiting free throw attempts (14).

Hurley emphasized Selebangue’s ability regardless of his foul trouble on Sunday.

“(Selebangue)’s very low maintenance,” Hurley said. “He doesn’t like, ‘hey, Hurley, you know, I need to play, you know, give me the ball,’ he kind of does a good job of playing off other guys. He’s a hard-working type of guy, a very, very relatable guy. I think the guy that our guys really like to play with. He had an illegal screen in the first half, but he sets good screens, so he does all the little things that the coaches appreciate.”

On the other hand, the Sun Devils shot 62% from the free throw line, improving from the team’s 42% performance against Sam Houston. The Sun Devils are averaging a 59% free throw percentage this season.

Up Next

Arizona State will face the SMU Mustangs (6-3) on Wednesday, the last of the team’s three-game home set.

After bouncing back from the loss to No. 19 BYU, the Sun Devils are confident with their ability going forward as they get used to building chemistry with one another.

“First it was a little shaky, trying to find out what spot, messing up with our sets … kind of just all over the place,” Collins said. “I think now we got a better understanding after getting a couple games under our belt … more understanding of what people want to shoot. They understand how hard we got to play as a team and just play together.”

Tip off is at 8 p.m. at Desert Financial Arena. The game will be on ESPN 620 AM, 98.7 HD-2 and the Arizona Sports app.