Slump? What slump?
Sophomore swingman Bryson Krueger doesn't know anything about a slump.
Rediscovering his shooting touch at the most opportune time, Krueger provided the ASU men's basketball team with the cushion it needed Thursday against Oregon State in one of his most efficient outings of the season.
Krueger paced the Sun Devils with 21 points, his most since Dec. 12 when he scored 23 against UC Riverside. He shot 8 for 13 from the field, including a 5-for-6 effort from three-point range.
"I had a couple shots that were pretty bad in the second half," said Krueger, who scored 16 first-half points as ASU built a 33-18 lead. "But once you start feeling it, you've got to test it out a little bit."
Krueger caught fire midway through the first half, draining three three-pointers over a three-minute stretch. He also completed a four-point possession by scoring on a putback after junior forward Ike Diogu missed a free throw.
The 21 points were more than Krueger had scored in the previous four games combined. Krueger had just four points on 2-of-9 shooting from the field in last week's losses to the Los Angeles schools.
"I don't know about a slump," Krueger said of his recent struggles. "Things weren't going my way. If I don't play well, somebody else usually does. We've got a lot of guys, so today was my turn."
ASU coach Rob Evans stressed the importance of Krueger looking for his shot.
"We've been trying to get him to be more aggressive," Evans said. "I thought he was really loose and relaxed, and he really looked to get his offense going. Any time he's taking 10 shots, he has been in double figures. He just has to get more shots."
Senior point guard Jason Braxton anticipates more of the same from Krueger.
"That's what he's capable of doing every night," Braxton said. "That wasn't just a rare game for him. He shoots like that in practice all the time. He's just getting used to it."
Reach the reporter at brian.gomez@asu.edu.
