A game after one of their least impressive shooting performances of the season, the Sun Devils were on fire from the field for stretches Saturday, securing the win at home over the Cougars 71-67. Brock Motum did all he could for WSU with a new career-high in points (34) but Arizona State was able to pull it off thanks to a balanced effort with five of the seven players who logged a minute scoring nine or more points.

"It definitely was a big win for us," said Carrick Felix, who had a team-high 20 points. "We all executed, played together [and] shared the ball,"

Felix was also quick to point out one stat: for the first time all season, the Devils didn't lead the box score in turnovers (16 compared to WSU's 18). ASU also managed to total 18 assists including seven from Jonathan Gilling (a new career-high).

"I thought the key for us was our movement of the ball," Head Coach Herb Sendek said. "I loved the patience and the discipline that we're growing on offense."

With each Devil spreading around the ball so well on the court, ASU got some of their most open shot attempts of the season, especially from downtown. And the Devils took advantage of almost every single one, shooting as high as 72.2% from the field with a little over six minutes remaining in the first half.

"We made each other better throughout the game, especially {with] some terrific possessions in the first half," Sendek said.

This rhythm continued in the second thanks largely in part to Chris Colvin, who was involved in ASU's first nine points out of the locker room. The much-maligned point guard had one of his best games of the season, showing fans of the maroon and gold what he's really capable of (career-high 16 points plus six rebound and four assists).

"Trent went down...and I knew it was either step up or move on," Colvin said. "I chose to step up."

"[Colvin] arguably played his best game as a Sun Devil," Sendek said. "He's settling in and starting to get more comfortable in what we're doing."

Colvin's performance wasn't without blemish though. He had a crucial five second violation (which Sendek would later take the blame for) in the final minute that managed to give fans a scare. But Kyle Cain was able to come up with a big steal on the other end that ultimately sealed the victory for Arizona State.

Next up for the Sun Devils is another California road trip and they'll look to continue their momentum into Thursday 7:00 pm match up against the Stanford (15-5). But for now, it's hard not to get caught up in the Devils' first win without their leader, Trent Lockett.

"This group has been through a great deal," Sendek said. "It's gratifying on a day like today where they finally get some taste of reward for all of their efforts and perseverance."

Other Game Notes:

• Jordan Bachynski was inserted in the starting lineup tonight and responded by have his third straight solid game, making all five shots he attempted for a career-high 11 points, two rebounds and two blocks in seventeen minutes. Although he was in foul trouble the entire contest and eventually ended up fouling out, Sendek says fans might continue to see more of J.B. in the starting five: "Jordan started because he earned it...the way Jordan has played against Utah, Washington, and Washington State he's really coming on."
• For the fourth straight game, Chanse Creekmur was held scoreless. Although he didn't attempt a shot in this one, Creekmur did have two big steals and played solid defense in his 21 minutes.
• This marks the second straight game that Colvin and Gilling have played almost the entire 40 minutes (both with 38 minutes). It will be interesting to see if Lockett's return cuts into their playing time or if Sendek has liked what he's seen enough to keep them as key components.