It’s one thing to lose to Gonzaga. Then there is losing to Georgia State. Yes, Georgia State.
For a while, it looked like that indignity might befall Arizona State, but coach Bobby Hurley’s team rallied from an 11-point deficit and chalked up a 75-62 victory on Monday, Nov. 17 at Desert Financial Arena.
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ASU (3-1) trailed by 11 points twice in the second half, including 52-41 with 14:20 to go.
Georgia State (1-4) was up 54-44 with 12:44 to go when ASU went on a 20-1 run, capped off by a driving layup by Anthony “Pig” Johnson that boosted ASU to a 64-55 lead.
Georgia State didn’t have a field goal for the last 6:24 and made just one of its last 14 shots from the field.
Hurley was not surprised his team came out a bit sluggish. He cited the natural letdown that came after that very late Friday night against Gonzaga. The team also had a 5 a.m. flight to Hawaii after Monday’s game, for three games it will play there. So, this was the ultimate “trap” game.
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“It’s not the easiest game for a lot of reasons,” Hurley said. “I don’t think I felt 100% today, so I can’t say that our players did either. With the level of game we played Friday night (against Gonzaga) and being a very late game, and then to play here again, it’s a whole different vibe. It’s hard to kind of match the same effort. It was a tough game, particularly with the bags packed, getting ready to get on a plane tomorrow morning.”
Let’s review:
What went right
Moe Odum: The point guard contributed in every way possible, finishing with 24 points, five rebounds, nine assists, and five steals. He had 15 points, four assists, two rebounds, and three steals in the first half, in which he made his first six shots from the field. Odum is typically a pass-first point guard, as evidenced by his 21 assists in the first three games, but no one else was doing much offensively in the half, so he was more aggressive offensively. He shot 10-for-19 from the field for the game.
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Better ball handling: ASU had just 10 turnovers, with only two in the first half. Of course, Georgia State wasn’t playing the most aggressive defense either. The Panthers had 18 turnovers. ASU finished with a 27-7 advantage in points off turnovers. It was the second-half defense that fueled the comeback, highlighted by a 20-1 run.
The big man contributed: Massamba Diop recorded a double-double with 15 points, and 11 rebounds, marking his first of the season and the third by an ASU player in four games thus far. He also had two blocks and a steal. It has been some time since the Sun Devils had a big man they could play throughout the game, but Diop has emerged as that kind of presence.
The Panthers started missing shots: Georgia State went 9-for-25 from long distance in the contest. Its success early is one factor that allowed them to surge into an early lead. Three minutes into the second half, the Panthers were at 9-for-15 from deep and had a 48-37 lead. They then missed 10 straight from long distance.
Better free-throw shooting: This was a problem area in the last game as ASU went just 13-for-23 against Gonzaga. They went 13-for-18, with Diop going 5-for-6.
ASU Sun Devils center Massamba Diop (35) is introduced before their game against the Georgia State Panthers at Desert Financial Arena on Nov. 17, 2025.
What went wrong
Three-point shooting: The Sun Devils went 4-for-19 for the game and didn’t make their first one until Andrija Grbovic did so with 6:47 left in the first half. They did make some big ones when it mattered, though. Odum and Bryce Ford made back-to-back shots that gave ASU a 60-55 lead, which was part of the comeback.
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Foul trouble: Two of ASU’s biggest contributors off the bench were non-factors early because of foul trouble. Allen Mukeba got two fouls in quick succession and played only four minutes in the first half. Johnson drew three personal fouls in six minutes. Odum picked up his fourth with 7:04 left in the game, and ASU ahead 62-55, so he had to go to the bench with the outcome still in doubt. Johnson picked up his fourth a minute later.
Personnel notes
Sophomore guard Noah Meeusen, a native of Belgium, saw his first action of the season, playing 17 minutes and finishing with two points, three rebounds, and two steals. He missed the first three games with a sprained ankle sustained in practice. His addition is key because Odum has had to play heavy minutes in his absence.
They said it
“Our activity picked up considerably on defense. Pig (Johnson) stole the ball a few times and dunked it; the crowd got into it. We got more confidence and you could tell they were very tentative with how they were handling the pressure, so that even powered us more to try and be more disruptive, and that’s what led to those baskets.” – ASU coach Bobby Hurley on the 20-1 run that put his team in control
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“The first half, our energy was low. We were sluggish. I said some things in the locker room, and they responded really well. Just being able to get on my teammates and have them respond to me, that made all the difference.” – ASU point guard Moe Odum
Up next
After playing four straight games at home, the Sun Devils are heading out on the road for their next five games. They will play at Hawaii (4-1) on Nov. 20, and then play Texas (3-1) in the first round of the Maui Invitational on Nov. 24.
The next home game will be on Dec. 9 against Northern Arizona.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: ASU men bounce back nicely from Gonzaga setback
