Arizona State will try to bounce back from its first loss of the season when the Sun Devils host Georgia State on Monday night in Tempe in a tuneup prior to their trip to Hawaii.
Arizona State (2-1) was beaten 77-65 by No. 19 Gonzaga on Friday. Other than being on the wrong end of a 21-5 run in the first half, Arizona State went toe-to-toe against the Bulldogs for most of the game.
“You’re shocked after some of the mistakes that we made because it’s not just about external things, it’s us,” Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley said.
After this game, the Sun Devils will head out to the Pacific. They’ll meet Hawaii for a one-off game in Honolulu before participating in the Maui Invitational early next week.
The Sun Devils are led by Santiago Trouet, who had 10 points and a career-high 11 rebounds against Gonzaga for his second straight double-double.
Arizona State’s top scorer is Massamba Diop, who averages 14.3 points and 5.0 rebounds. Maurice Odom (11.7) and Anthony “Pig” Johnson (11.3) also average double figures.
Georgia State (1-3) is coming off a 90-56 win over Division II Fort Valley State, where four players scored double figures. The Panthers are starting a six-game, month-long road trip that includes stops at South Dakota State to begin the Cancun Challenge before heading to Mexico for games against Samford and New Mexico State.
The Panthers are led by returning starter Jelani Hamilton, a preseason All-Sun Belt Conference second-team selection, who averaged 10.8 points last year. Hamilton is averaging 14.7 points and scored 26 against Cincinnati on Nov. 7.
Georgia State freshman Joah Chappelle is averaging 13.8 points and scored 23 against Presbyterian. Chappelle had 16 points and 12 rebounds against Fort Valley State for his first career double-double.
“We have the 11th-youngest team in the country, so we don’t know how to win yet,” Georgia State coach Jonas Hayes said. “We’ve only got two guys on our roster who have played meaningful minutes (Hamilton and Malachi Brown) and we’re asking all of our guys to play a major role. We’re kind of throwing these guys in the fire.”
This is the first meeting between the two teams.
