Moe Odum scored a season-high 24 points to help Arizona State turn back upset-minded Georgia State 75-62 on Monday in Tempe, Ariz.
Odum was 10-for-19 from the field and added five rebounds and nine assists to help the Sun Devils (3-1) bounce back from Friday’s loss to Gonzaga.
Arizona State also got 15 points, a career-high 11 rebounds and two blocked shots from Massamba Diop, a 7-1 freshman who earned his first career double-double. Anthony “Pig” Johnson shot 5-for-6 from the floor and scored 13 points, all in the second half.
Georgia State (1-4) was led by Malachi Brown with 15 points. Jakai Newton had 11 points and nine rebounds and Micah Tucker added 11 points. The Panthers played without leading scorer Jelani Hamilton.
Georgia State outscored Arizona State 9-3 to start the second half and built the lead to 11 points, 48-37. The Panthers held a 10-point lead with 12:44 remaining when Arizona State scored 10 unanswered points to tie the game 54-54 at 10:16.
After Georgia State’s Christian Beam broke the run with a free throw, the Sun Devils hit back-to-back 3-pointers to begin another 10-0 run and up their lead to 64-55. Georgia State never got closer than five points.
In the first half, Georgia State leaned heavily on the bench to outscore Arizona State 17-4 and take a 39-34 lead at the break. The Panthers scored the final nine points of the first half to offset an earlier 10-0 Arizona State run.
Ayouba Berthe hit three 3-pointers to pace Georgia State with nine points. Arizona State’s Odum hit his first six shots and scored 15 in the first half, as the Sun Devils outscored the Panthers 10-0 on fast-break points.
Arizona State travels to play at the University of Hawaii on Thursday. Georgia State plays at South Dakota State on Friday to begin the Cancun Challenge.
