After overcoming a heartbreak by surviving a scare this week, Arizona State still has concerns heading into a road matchup Thursday at San Diego State.
Arizona State trailed North Florida by 13 points in the first half on Monday before rallying for a 72-63 victory. That came one game after falling to UC Riverside on a last-second 65-foot buzzer-beater.
The Sun Devils (2-1) are still trying to get a full assessment on forward Marcus Bagley, who was on the bench at the end of Monday’s victory with a knee injury. Bagley retreated to the locker room multiple times after he was injured in the first half. He played only nine minutes and did not see action after halftime.
Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley, whose team is heading out for its first road game of the season, said there is an added concern since Bagley aggravated a previous knee injury.
“I want to see what he looks like and what the doctors say, (and) how he feels,” Hurley said. “Then we’ll get a plan for it. We’ve had some setbacks over the last few weeks with it. He made strides and he was doing very well, so this is another minor setback.”
Before the North Florida game, Bagley averaged 29.5 minutes per game along with 15.0 points and 5.0 rebounds on 45.5-percent shooting from the field in two contests.
Toledo graduate transfer Marreon Jackson sparked the Sun Devils’ late rally against North Florida with eight points on two 3-pointers and two free throws in the final 2:14. Arizona State held a slim 64-61 lead before Jackson asserted himself.
While UC Riverside defeated Arizona State on an improbable shot, they fell 66-53 to San Diego State on Nov. 9.
San Diego State (1-1) enters off a 66-60 loss at BYU last week.
Nathan Mensah tied a career-high with 18 points against the Cougars and had eight rebounds, while Trey Pulliam added 12 points and four assists for the Aztecs.
“(Arizona State) is very dangerous offensively; play at a fast pace, get up and down the floor, and shoot the ball,” San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher said. “Every game is different. This one will be a lot more fast-paced than the first two games we played. We will prepare to play at that pace.”
–Field Level Media
