Jose Perez scores 24 points to lead Arizona State to a 78-61 victory over Sam Houston

TEMPE, Ariz. -- — Jose Perez scored 16 of his 24 points in the first half to help Arizona State beat Sam Houston 78-61 on Wednesday night.

Jamiya Neal added 14 points for Arizona State (4-2), which shot 52% (33 of 64) from the floor. Alonzo Gaffney and Frankie Collins chipped in 12 points apiece. Perez and Neal each grabbed eight of the Sun Devils' 42 rebounds.

Arizona State never trailed and built a 38-25 halftime advantage. Perez made 6 of 9 field goals and 3 of 4 from the line and hit a 3-pointer. Collins and Gaffney chipped in eight points apiece as the Sun Devils shot 16 of 33 (48.5%) from the floor by the half.

Kamari Lands and Akil Watson each made a 3 during a 16-6 run to open the second half that stretched the Sun Devils’ lead to 54-31 with 13:02 remaining.

Damon Nicholas Jr. scored 15 points and Davon Barnes had 13 for Sam Houston (4-4).

Arizona State hosts San Francisco on Sunday. Sam Houston plays at home Sunday against Lamar.

------ Get poll alerts and updates on AP Top 25 basketball throughout the season. Sign up here ------ AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball