How effective was KU defense in second half vs. ASU? Sun Devils scored 13 points
Shakeel Moore, who is earning a reputation as Kansas’ defensive stopper, embraced a message delivered by one of his teammates at halftime of the Jayhawks’ 74-55 victory over Arizona State on Wednesday night at Allen Fieldhouse.
“I overheard somebody say, ‘We’re not losing at home,’’’ Moore said after scoring eight points and corralling two vital second-half steals in 22 minutes.
The Jayhawks (11-3, 2-1 Big 12), who lost their last home game to West Virginia on New Year’s Eve, were well on their way to dropping their second straight game to an unranked foe in the fieldhouse — something that hasn’t happened since 1989.
KU trailed the Sun Devils 42-36 after 20 minutes.
“I kept reiterating it,” Moore said of the we’re not losing at home mentality. “I said, ’I’m going to take some pride right here and go out with some intensity and get some stops.’ I went out there and set an example defensively.”
Pressed to identify the teammate who issued the “refuse to lose at home” edict, Moore said: “Probably KJ (Adams) or Juan (guard DeJuan Harris Jr.).”
Moore’s pair of second-half steals were signature plays as the Jayhawks applied full-court defensive pressure after the intermission.
KU held Arizona State to 13 points on 21.7% shooting in the game’s final 20 minutes. The Sun Devils (10-4, 1-2) hit just 5 of 23 second-half shots and were 1-of-11 from 3-point range as KU outscored its guests 38-13 after halftime.
“It was great team defense,” said KU senior guard Zeke Mayo, who scored 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting (5-of-8 from 3-point range).
“We understand that we screwed up in the first half, gave up some easy buckets, but, you know, buckled down defensively the second half. Giving up only 13 points is extremely hard in any level of basketball. So, I mean, that’s just another sign of buying into what the coaches preach.
“Our ball screen defense was terrific. Big guys had a lot of intensity, a lot of energy hedging ball screens. Our brothers were connected.”
The 13 points in Wednesday’s second half were the fewest allowed by KU in a half since TCU scored nine against KU in the first half of a Feb. 23, 2013 game in the fieldhouse.
“That’s about as turned up as I’ve seen a team for an entire half,” KU coach Bill Self said, noting that he expects to use the full-court press again this season.
Self said the star of the second half defensively was Moore, the 6-foot-1 transfer from Mississippi State.
First Moore stole an inbounds pass and skied for a slam dunk, giving KU a 51-45 lead with 12:18 to play. He swiped a steal on ASU’s next possession and made a perfect pass to Rylan Griffen for another dunk and a 53-45 Jayhawk lead.
Moore, who had foot surgery in September and was slow to recover, did not surprise Mayo with how high he jumped on the slam.
“I’ve practiced with him a handful of months,” Mayo said. “He’s been able do that since I’ve seen him. He’s a freak athlete. His bounce is incredible. We’ll see that more times.”
Moore — his eight points came off 3-of-5 shooting (2-of-2 at the line) — said the dunk had him “super fired up. I don’t think I got on the rim since the injury. Being able to go out there and do that … I’m super excited. I take pride in defense, but I don’t want people to forget I can score the ball.”
KU coach Self said Moore was the most important player on the floor Wednesday.
“I think to me if I was going to pick an MVP of the game I’d pick Shak, just because of the energy he brought,” Self said. “He doesn’t score a ton of points but he makes plays that to me, give the team’s confidence and spark energy as much as anything.
“So I thought those were huge plays. There’s other guys that made big plays. Those were probably the two biggest plays the second half from a defensive standpoint,” Self added. “Shak is a difference maker defensively.”
Looking at the big picture, the Jayhawks were enthused they were able to erase a six-point halftime deficit at home and avoid a second straight defeat at Allen Fieldhouse.
“We understood we were having trouble guarding for a while that first half, obviously,” Mayo said.
Alston Mason, a graduate of Blue Valley Northwest High School, scored 15 of his 19 points in the first half for the Sun Devils, who were playing without injured guard Joson Sanon.
“That was kind of the emphasis at halftime: Play desperate, play with a lot of intensity. I think we did that the second half,” Mayo said. “A lot of the (ASU) guys didn’t really handle pressure very well.
“I mean, credit to them, they did a fantastic job the first half. The second half Coach (Self) emphasized we get after them, pick ‘em up full-court. It kind of messed with their offense a bit.”
Of the full-court press, Self said: “I think when you are playing everybody 33, 35, 37 minutes, the more you make them have to earn things and not give them time to rest, (it) makes it harder on them. I think you’ll see more of it moving forward.”
KU will next meet Cincinnati at 1 p.m. Central Time on Saturday in Cincinnati, Ohio.
