The unsung heroes of ASU's win over Creighton

LAS VEGAS – The Arizona State Sun Devils edged the Creighton Blue Jays by a final score of 73-71 in Las Vegas last night in the Jack Jones Hoopfest.

In a foul-heavy bout, the Sun Devil bench proved to play a key role in the Devil's victory.

Early in the game, Creighton would score first but the Sun Devils would have a good pace for most of the first half. However, Creighton would show some life at the end of the half. As the ASU defense played their aggressive style of defense, early whistles would certainly change the personnel.

In the first half, starters DJ Horne, Warren Washington, and Desmond Cambridge Jr. had 2 personal fouls each. Head coach Bobby Hurley would have to turn to the bench which thus far this season has played fantastic averaging about 20 points per game. For a team that only averages 72 points per game on the year, every basket is valuable.

As the game plan changed to fit the personnel better, it was up to the bench to continue to play great, especially with a seven-footer like Washington taking breaks from the floor looming further foul trouble.

In his place, Alonzo Gaffney would come in and continue to attack the boards which was a problem for the Blue Jays last night and in their previous game against BYU. Gaffney would haul in four rebounds in the first half, which was only second to Washington. He also did not commit any fouls in 13 minutes of playing time.

Into the second half for Gaffney, he would play another 12 minutes while shifting the focus to great distribution and adding a huge three-pointer in the Devils’ offensive struggle in the second half. Although the stats aren’t mind-boggling, Gaffney would also continue to play great defense like the rest of his teammates.

Another great piece off the bench was Jamiya Neal, the sophomore forward/guard who is known for his defensive ability but proved his offensive ability in small ways. Overall, in 21 minutes of play, Neal had six points and three rebounds. On top of that, he had a pair of assists.

The defensive persona playing aggressively was great during the game while Neal also had a steal which was one of only three for ASU.

The highest-scoring Devil off the bench was the impressive freshman guard Austin Nunez. As Nunez averages 5.4 points per game, the 10-point showing against a good Creighton team was exciting. Last night Nunez was 4-7 with two three-pointers.

On top of his offensive success Nunez, like the starters, found some fouls but it was a part of his aggressive style of play as he plays low and fast. Nunez would end the game with three total fouls, but it didn’t hinder his effect in his 21 minutes.

In the second half, Creighton played with urgency and had the lead, but the Sun Devil bench did not let up. It allowed the starters to come in late and do their job. Desmond Cambridge would eventually take over the game for ASU, but the bench bridged the opportunities for starters.

The stat sheet does not do justice for the Sun Devil bench individuals, but the team held a Creighton team to shooting 37% from the field and out-rebounding the Blue Jays 42-35. With two Sun Devil starters with four fouls and some with three at the end of the game, the bench was counted upon and showed out in the grudge match win.