Jose Perez had 24 points and eight rebounds to lead Arizona State to a 78-61 victory over Sam Houston on Wednesday night in Tempe, Ariz.
Perez, a West Virginia transfer, made 9 of 13 shots from the field and also had three of Arizona State’s 19 assists.
The Sun Devils (4-2) never trailed in the game.
They won their second consecutive game after losing 77-49 against BYU in Las Vegas on Thanksgiving.
Jamiya Neal had 14 points and eight rebounds, Alonzo Gaffney added 12 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots and Frankie Collins finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for ASU.
Arizona State shot 51.6 percent from the field despite going 4-for-18 from 3-point range.
The Sun Devils attacked the basket, outscoring Sam Houston 50-38 in the paint and 28-22 in fastbreak points.
The Bearkats (4-4) had a three-game winning streak snapped.
They were led by Damon Nicholas Jr.’s 15 points.
Davon Barnes finished with 13 points and Kian Scroggins had 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Arizona State built a 29-12 lead with 5:23 left in the first half after going on a 13-2 run.
Collins and Perez each made 3-pointers and Gaffney made a layup and a dunk in the pivotal stretch.
Sam Houston did not get closer than 10 points the rest of the game.
After leading 38-25 at halftime, ASU opened the second half on an 8-2 run.
The Sun Devils outscored Sam Houston 13-5 to pull away to a 59-36 margin with 10:37 remaining.
The Bearkats shot 35.3 percent from the field, including 22.7 percent from beyond the arc.
They were coming off a poor shooting performance against NAIA foe Paul Quinn College in a 78-61 win on Saturday.
In that game, Sam Houston shot 37.1 percent from the floor and 29.4 percent from 3-point range.
Against Arizona State, the Bearkats committed 15 turnovers, resulting in 18 points for the Sun Devils.
Collins led Arizona State with three steals and Braelon Green finished with two.
–Field Level Media