Arizona State Basketball Secures Win Behind Second Half Surge

The Sun Devils went down by double digits, but managed to re-organize and secure another win.

Arizona State Sun Devils center Massamba Diop (35) battles for position with Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Graham Ike (15) on Nov. 14, 2025, at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe. | Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

TEMPE -- The Arizona State Sun Devils (3-1) took control in the second half to avoid an upset bid by the Georgia State Panthers (1-4) by a score of 75-62 in Tempe on Monday night.

This game marked the season debut for guard Noah Meeusen, who injured his ankle in the ramp-up for the season, as it also featured the starting five that has been in place this entire campaign - Moe Odum, Bryce Ford, Andrija Grbovic, Santiago Trouet, and Massamba Diop began the game on the floor.

Arizona State on SI recaps the game below.

Oct 22, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Arizona Stateís Noah Meeusen speaks to media during Big 12 Menís Basketball media day at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: Sophia Scheller-Imagn Images | Sophia Scheller-Imagn Images

First Half

The Sun Devils got off to a tepid start to the game, as the Georgia State offense connected on six three-point attempts and knocked down all seven free throw attempts - all without their leading scorer.

Odum was exceptional on the Sun Devils' end, as he accounted for 15 points in the first 20 minutes of action. The supporting cast struggled to support Odum as well - as they only made two three-point attempts in the first frame.

Georgia State got off to a 39-34 lead going into the locker room behind a late run to end the half.

Second Half

The Panthers opened the second frame red-hot, scoring 13 points across the first six minutes of the half. Georgia State also prevented the Sun Devils from generating second-chance attempts, which became a significant development as well.

Guard Anthony "Pig" Johnson entered the game in the early stages of the half and made an instant impact - as he scored seven consecutive points for Arizona State.

The momentum continued to shift in favor of Arizona State, as they managed to tie the game at 54 at the halfway mark of the period - the offense continued to come alive, as Odum and Ford knocked down three-point looks to take a 60-55 lead at the eight-minute mark of the game.

The Sun Devils stepped up defensively over the final several minutes of the contest, ultimately coasting to the 13-point victory ahead of a trip to Hawaii on Tuesday morning.

Key Performances

Moe Odum - 24 PTS, 9 AST, 5 STL, 10-19 FG

Massamba Diop - 15 PTS, 11 REB, 2 BLK

Anthony "Pig" Johnson - 13 PTS, 4 REB, 8 STL/BLK

What's Next

The Sun Devils hit the road to face the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors on Thursday before taking part in the Maui Invitational Tournament against Texas next Monday.

Read more on why the Arizona State men's basketball team will exceed expectations in the 2025-26 season here, and on how the culture that has been cultivated by coach Dillingham showed up against West Virginia here.

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