A familiar face was back in the lineup for the ASU men's basketball team as the Sun Devils defeated German traveling team Ratiopharm Ulm 94-74 Monday night.
Sophomore sensation Ike Diogu returned to the lineup and scored the Sun Devils' first six points on the night, including two thunderous dunks, and finished with a team-high 28 points. Diogu missed the team's first exhibition game with a strained right hip.
While the sophomore was limited to just 13 minutes in the first half due to early foul trouble, his presence rubbed off on fellow forward Keith Wooden.
The freshman was the only Sun Devil in double-digit points in the first half (11) and added seven rebounds for the game.
"They played pretty well tonight, and they've been playing pretty well in practice, so we'll really work both of those guys together inside and outside so they can play against some mismatches," ASU head coach Rob Evans said of his two big men, who combined for 17 rebounds
Just like their opening win against the EA Southwest All Stars, the Sun Devils couldn't seem to hit their groove early on, trailing the traveling German team through parts of the first half. The competitive period eventually ended with the Sun Devils up 40-36.
ASU pulled away to start the second half. The Sun Devils started the final frame on a 16-2 run over the opening six minutes and stormed through the Germans like a runaway Sherman tank on a crash course to Berlin.
The Sun Devils outscored the United Nations-like traveling team, which featured players from six different countries, 54-38 in the second half. For the game, five Sun Devils finished in double digits for points as Evans again emptied his bench.
Diogu's second half included 20 points in just 11 minutes. The Garland, Texas, native also led the team with 10 rebounds, including three on the offensive end.
"Coach said as long as I didn't show any signs of pain, he would play me as long as I could go," said Diogu, who finished the night 10-for-13 from the field and a perfect 7-of-7 from the charity stripe. "We played against two good exhibitions teams, and we got to keep on improving,"
The Sun Devils kick off their regular season Saturday at home against Arkansas-Little Rock. ASU defeated Morehead State 59-56 last year to start its season and has won its last 13 season openers.
Reach the reporter at jeffrey.hoodzow@asu.edu.
