 struggled early for the second straight game, unable to find many seams in Longwood's zone or get shots to fall from the perimeter during the first half. Once the second half rolled around, Arizona State's quick-burst offense ignited. Pressuring the Lancers into mistakes and getting out in transition, the Sun Devils went on a 16-1 run to turn a five-point halftime lead into a 54-35 advantage in the opening 6 1/2 minutes. De'Quon Lake scored 16 points and Holder had a strong all-around game, finishing with six assists, six steals and five rebounds. Longwood (3-9) played without two starters, including leading scorer Isaiah Walton, yet scrapped with the No. 3 team in the country to keep it close in the first half. The Lancers struggled again Arizona State's defensive pressure in the second half and had a hard time keeping track of its bevy of shooters after shutting them down the opening 20 minutes. Kamil Chapman had 16 points to lead the Lancers, who had 16 of their 26 turnovers in the second half. The Sun Devils came out flat against Vanderbilt on Sunday, falling behind 13-0 in their first game as a top-5 team in 36 years. Arizona State kicked into a gear few teams have after that, rolling to a 12-point victory. That victory propelled the Sun Devils past Duke into the No. 3 slot, matching the highest ranking in school history (1981 and 1963). Arizona State got off to another slow start against the Lancers, the No. 344 team in the KenPom rankings, clanging one shot after another against their zone. The Sun Devils missed 13 of their first 17 shots and only improved marginally from there. Arizona State shot 10 of 30 from the field, 4 of 15 from the 3-point arc and clung to a 35-30 halftime lead. Arizona State started to solve Longwood's zone in the second half and caused problems for the Lancers with pressure of their own. A team that can put up points in a hurry , the Sun Devils did just that, going on a 12-0 run to take a 50-34 lead. Justice hit a 3-pointer during the run and made a nifty left-handed, no-look dish to set up Romello White for a basket inside on consecutive possessions. Arizona State continued to pressure the Lancers, stretching the lead to 35 with a 13-0 run that sent many of the fans to the exits. BIG PICTURELongwood lost, but can take a lot away from hanging with the nation's No. 3 team for a half. Arizona State could stand to get off to better starts, but again showed why it's one of the best teams in the country with a dominating second half. UP NEXTLongwood heads across the Valley of the Sun to play Grand Canyon on Thursday. Arizona State hosts Pacific on Friday.---More college basketball: https://collegebasketball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/-Top25)
Time: 9:00 PM EST TEMPE, Ariz. -- After Shannon Evans II drained a 3-pointer early in Arizona State's game-deciding burst in the second half Sunday, he turned and joyously skipped down the sideline toward the defensive end." He's a comedian," teammate Tra Holder said. "He's great player and I'm happy for him." It has been that kind of season for Evans, Holder and the No. 3 Sun Devils, whose 76-64 victory over Vanderbilt pushed them to 10-0 for the first time in school history and moved them up two spots in the AP poll, matching their school-best ranking. Arizona State will attempt to remain one of the four NCAA Division I unbeatens in a home game against the Longwood Lancers (3-8) of the Big South at Wells Fargo Arena on Tuesday. Guards Holder and Evans lead the Sun Devils in scoring, averaging a combined 40 points a game, and 6-foot-8 freshman forward Romello White has given them a strong inside presence they lacked in coach Bobby Hurley's first two years. ASU added another piece Sunday, when Ohio State 6-7 transfer forward Mickey Mitchell had eight points and a career-high 13 rebounds in his first extended playing time since gaining his eligibility at the end of the first semester Dec. 10. At times during his team's decisive 49-18 run that spanned both halves against Vanderbilt, Mitchell was the Sun Devils' only frontcourt player alongside Holder, Evans and guards Kodi Justice and Remy Martin. Mitchell had 10 rebounds in the first half." Very pleased with Mickey tonight," Hurley said afterward. "Thought his rebounding was tremendous. Glad to see him look and appear to be more comfortable. He's a rugged, hard-playing guy. He's so physical." Mickey fits right in with our personality. He's a blue-collar guy. He's unselfish. He passes. He also brings a more physical element to our team. He gives me more lineup flexibility. He's just starting to get adjusted to playing." Mitchell also had two assists and two steals while playing 24 minutes in his second appearance. He saw six minutes in the 95-85 victory at Kansas on Dec. 10. ASU can be at its best with its small lineup, depending on the opponent. Vanderbilt went small most of the game Sunday, too." When everyone is making shots and going by the defender, it is very hard to guard us," Holder said of the four-guard group." It is hard to build a game plan against that. We are a flow offense, and I think that gives us an advantage. Everybody can shoot 3s and dribble, so it is like 'What do we do?' as a defense. We're a gritty team. We play taller that what we are. Coach Hurley gives us that grit." Longwood lost its first five this season, won three in a row, and has lost its last three. It has not beaten an NCAA Division I team since a 79-76 victory over Big South rival Presbyterian on Jan. 4, 2017. The Lancers broke a 21-game losing streak with a victory over Division III North Carolina Wesleyan on Nov. 26. Their other victories this season are against Division II opponents. They lost to Illinois 92-45 on Dec. 13 and fell to Cornell on Saturday. They will stay in the area to face WAC opponent Grand Canyon on Thursday. Junior guard Isaiah Walton (17.2) and senior guard D. K. Ashe (13.6) are the two Lancers scoring in double figures. Ashe had a career-high 31 and Walton had 22 in the 107-78 victory over North Carolina Wesleyan. Walton missed the 69-62 loss to Cornell with an undisclosed injury. The Lancers outrebounded Cornell and limited the Big Red to 39.7 percent shooting from the floor. Longwood shot only 35.3 percent from the field." I thought we were excellent at defending them and defending their sets, but we just didn't score enough points," Longwood coach Jayson Gee told reporters." We miss Isaiah. ... We just didn't shoot the ball well. Didn't shoot free throws well, didn't shoot jump shots well, didn't hit layups. We're just a better offensive team than that."
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