LAS VEGAS -- There's no shame in breaking even in Sin City.
In perhaps its most well rounded game of the season, the ASU men's basketball team accomplished just that Saturday, routing Vanderbilt 87-68 in the consolation game of the Las Vegas Holiday Invitational at Valley High School.
The much-needed win took away some of the sting from Friday's 66-65 loss against Texas-El Paso, which fell to Southern Illinois in the championship game. It also provided a blueprint for how ASU (3-1) can defy doubters in what's expected to be a parody-filled Pac-10 race.
Junior forward Ike Diogu showed the swagger of a preseason All-America candidate, marking his 16th career double-double with 30 points and 11 rebounds in a full 40 minutes. He shot 8 for 10 from the field and was 14 for 16 from the free-throw line.
Coming off a 16-point game against UTEP, senior guard Steve Moore scored 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field, including a 4-for-6 effort from three-point range. Sophomore guard Kevin Kruger had 15 points, sinking all three of his three-point attempts. Sophomore forward Serge Angounou added a career-high 13 points.
The Sun Devils stayed in control from start to finish, never allowing Vanderbilt (3-2) to come closer than three points after starting the game on a 12-2 run. They led 35-23 at intermission and pulled ahead 46-33 early in the second half before putting the game away.
Kruger and Moore each nailed three-pointers in a 15-3 burst that gave ASU a 61-38 lead with 12:11 left. Diogu knocked down five free throws, and sophomore guard Bryson Krueger capped the run with a spinner in the lane.
"Every night, we expect to get better," said ASU head coach Rob Evans, whose team shot 58.3 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from three-point range. "It's a part of growth."
For Diogu, it marked the seventh 30-point game of his career. It was his most efficient outing since Dec. 22, when he went 12 for 15 from the field and posted a career-high 38 points against McNeese State.
"I don't think I really ever have fun until the game is over," said Diogu, who was named to the all-tournament team, along with Moore. "I think that's when all the fun starts for me. When I'm on the court, I don't really get caught up in too much celebrating. But it was a nice ballgame."
The most encouraging sign for the Sun Devils was the play of Angounou, whose 13 points were more than he had scored in the first three games combined. Angounou moved well without the ball and looked smooth when he had it, showing no signs of the lingering knee injury that plagued him last season.
"Whenever I focus on defense, it kind of carries over to offense," Angounou said. "The first game, I just had to do everything well to the point where I was so focused that I couldn't make any mistakes."
The Sun Devils drew motivation from the fact that they outrebounded an opponent for the third time this season, holding a 31-21 edge on the boards. They also forced a season-high-tying 21 turnovers, which resulted in 27 points.
"It always starts with the defense," Evans said. "We got a lot of easy baskets because of defense. We got a lot of run-outs, and we pushed the ball in transition."
Reach the reporter at brian.gomez@asu.edu.
