Sun Devils tie school mark with 18 3-pointers in 97-73 victory over UNLV.
After Arizona State’s opening win last month, coach Bobby Hurley said at some point this season he wouldn’t be surprised if the Sun Devils hit 20 3pointers in a game.
Informed that 20 would set a school record, breaking the old mark by two, Hurley laughed, but stuck by his statement. He believed in his team’s perimeter shooting. “It wouldn’t shock me,” Hurley said. Against UNLV on Saturday night, the Sun Devils fell short of 20 but they still managed 18, tying the school record in a 97-73 win in front of 7,707 fans at Wells Fargo Arena.
Junior guard Shannon Evans tied the school mark with a 3 near the key with just more than a minute to go. The Sun Devils last made 18 on Nov. 20, 2009, against San Francisco.
“I didn’t know until I got in the locker room,” Evans said of the record. “If I would’ve known that during the game, I definitely would’ve fired a few more up, for sure.”
ASU improved to 5-3. The Sun Devils on Tuesday travel to New York City to play No. 15 Purdue, the first of a Jimmy V Classic doubleheader that also features No. 5 Duke and No. 24 Florida.
UNLV – rebuilding under first-year coach Marvin Menzies – dropped to 5-3.
Coming off a 46-point loss to No. 1 Kentucky, the Sun Devils needed something to go right, something to spark their confidence. Playing at home will do that. So will connecting from deep. Such things can be contagious. And on this night, several ASU players got hot.
Led by the guards, six Sun Devils hit 3-pointers. Senior Torian Graham made six, Evans made five and junior Tra Holder buried four. Overall, the Sun Devils made 18 of 36 from deep.
“Tonight everybody had it going,” Graham said. “It didn’t matter who shot it.”
Evans led the Sun Devils with 28 points, five rebounds and four assists. Graham had 22 points, while Holder chipped in 20.
“We made the extra pass, which was nice,” Hurley said. “We moved the ball well and took what the defense gave us.”