TEMPE, AZ (November 6, 2026) – Paulius Murauskas delivered a career-best performance Friday night, pouring in 33 points to lead Arizona State men’s basketball to a commanding 90-63 victory over Northern Colorado, improving the Sun Devils to 2-0 under first-year head coach Randy Bennett.
The 6-foot-8 senior forward, who followed Bennett to Tempe after transferring from Saint Mary’s, put together an impressive offensive performance, connecting on 13 of 18 shots from the field, including two three-pointers. The Lithuanian standout surpassed his previous career scoring highs, providing an early glimpse of the impact he could have on Arizona State’s offense this season.
While Murauskas led the scoring attack, Arizona State received valuable contributions from its supporting cast. Bryce Ford provided a major spark off the bench with 17 points, while Filip Malesevic controlled the glass with 11 rebounds in just 24 minutes. Joel Foxwell helped orchestrate the offense, distributing eight assists as the Sun Devils consistently created quality scoring opportunities.
Arizona State’s offensive efficiency proved too much for Northern Colorado to overcome. The Sun Devils shot 54 percent from the field, dominated the interior with 48 points in the paint and outrebounded the Bears 40-32. Their defensive pressure also forced 12 turnovers, helping ASU maintain control and pull away for the 27-point victory.
Northern Colorado, which dropped to 1-1, was led by Manning Shareef’s 13 points. Hunter Caldwell contributed 11, while Andrew Crawford and Vincent Delano added 10 points apiece. Despite having four players reach double figures, the Bears struggled to match Arizona State’s offensive production and physical presence inside.
The victory marks another positive step in the early stages of the Randy Bennett era at Arizona State. After spending 25 seasons building Saint Mary’s into a nationally respected basketball program, Bennett is now working to establish a winning culture in Tempe. Friday’s victory moved the veteran coach within nine wins of his 600th career victory.
The matchup was just the second meeting between the two programs and their first since 2006, when Arizona State earned a 66-51 victory.
With two wins to open the 2026-27 campaign, the Sun Devils will look to continue building momentum when they host Hofstra on Tuesday, November 10. Northern Colorado returns home to face Northern New Mexico the same day.
