ASU men's basketball's (0-1) lack of height and depth was exploited by Colorado, surrendering 38 points in the paint and out-rebounded 48 to 36 in a 81-71 loss Friday night in Shanghai.
Junior guard Remy Martin led the Sun Devils with 23 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.
Redshirt senior Rob Edwards chipped in 20 points for ASU.
Junior guard McKinley Wright IV led Colorado with 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Junior guard D'Shawn Schwartz provided 15 points for the Buffaloes.
ASU started the game shooting a cold 32% from the field and 36% from three in the first half. The team also committed seven turnovers in the half.
Colorado produced a 15-3 run midway through the first half, eventually propelling them to a 42-29 halftime lead. Colorado shot 50% from three in the initial 20 minutes.
Martin sparked a Sun Devils comeback in the second half to tie the game at 59. He scored 19 of his 23 points in the final 20 minutes.
But the Buffaloes went on a 7-1 run to keep the lead out of reach, one they never relinquished for the remainder of the game.
The Sun Devils were without the services of sophomore forward Taeshon Cherry and redshirt junior forward Romello White due to team violations before the team left from Tempe.
ASU will take on Central Connecticut State in Tempe at 8 p.m. MST on Nov. 14.
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.
