ASU men's basketball (6-2) rode redshirt junior forward Romello White's second straight double-double and another strong defensive effort to a 77-65 win over Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday night.
White produced 19 points and 14 rebounds for the Sun Devils.
Redshirt senior guard Rob Edwards provided 17 points and five rebounds for ASU.
The Sun Devils began the game with tight defense, forcing 13 Rajun Cajun turnovers in the first half and scoring 18 points off the takeaways. The team forced 13 fouls on the Rajun Cajuns in the first half, but only hit nine of their 16 free throws.
White and Edwards carried much of ASU's offense early, combining to score 22 of the team's 38 first half points. The duo propelled two 6-0 runs that helped build a 38-26 halftime lead.
The Sun Devils produced an 8-2 run early in the second half to create a 19 point lead, their largest of the game.
Despite having their lead trimmed to ten late in the second half, the Sun Devils kept the Rajun Cajuns at bay with six straight points from junior guard Remy Martin.
ASU shot 41% from the field and 23% from three, while ULL shot 42% overall and 33% from three.
Despite the win, head coach Bobby Hurley felt dissatisfied with their performance in the second half.
"I just think we got baited into shooting some poor shots," Hurley said. "I thought our defense was poor relative to how we guarded in the first half and most of the season."
White echoed Hurley's remarks of their second half, saying the coach emphasized "getting better defensively and hitting shots" after the game.
Hurley praised White's performance, saying he was, "One of the primary reasons why we were in the position we were late in the game." He added, "Good things happened when he had the ball — bottom line."
White said his focus on both ends of the floor is what has lead to his past two performances.
"I feel like I've gotten into a groove, and I've been trying to stay consistent with how I play," White said. "That's really what I've been focusing on: taking my time when I get the ball and just trying to dominate on both ends of the floor."
ASU will take on Prairie View A&M in Tempe on Dec. 11 at 8 p.m. MST.
Reach the reporter at jhorst2@asu.edu and follow @HorseySeven on Twitter.
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Jeffrey Horst is the digital editor-in-chief of The State Press. He previously served as the publication's sports editor and worked at Cronkite News and ArizonaSports.com.
