By Lindsay Gaesser, SDA Media Relations
Tempe, Ariz.—Led by Savon Goodman’s 20 points, the Arizona State men’s basketball team edged UCLA, 68-66, Wednesday night before a crowd of 7,873 at Wells Fargo Arena. The game went down to the wire as the second half alone saw 13 lead changes. The Bruins (16-11; 8-6) pulled within one point with eight seconds left on the clock, but the Sun Devils (14-12; 6-7) held on for the upset.
Notching 20 points and 12 rebounds against UCLA, Goodman recorded his fourth career double-double. The sophomore transfer had a spectacular night, going 8-for-8 from the field. Senior Shaquielle McKissic and freshman Tra Holder also posted double digits—McKissic netted 14 while Holder put up 13. Holder, who has gone 31-37 from the free throw line in the past eight games, made 8-of-12 on the night.
“I honestly didn’t know till the end of the game that I shot perfect from the field,” Goodman said humbly. “It felt great and it is truly unbelievable.”
“Savon had an outstanding game with the double-double,” added ASU head coach Herb Sendek. “He keeps getting better and better.”
SAVON GOODMAN CAREER DOUBLE-DOUBLES (4)
20/12 vs. UCLA (2/18/15)
19/13 @ Washington (2/5/15)
22/11 vs. Detroit (12/23/14)
24/12 vs. Lehigh (12/20/14)
The Sun Devils dominated the boards, which was a key factor in the win. ASU outrebounded the Bruins 39-27 and had 17 second-chance points compared to UCLA’s nine.
“Tonight the defense and rebounding were key,” said Sendek. “I thought one of the big keys of the night was the improvement in our defense in the second half. In the first half we gave up over 50 percent from the field, while in the second half it was 36.7 percent. I thought our guys had a number of really big stops. We held the number one offensive rebounding team in our conference relatively in check on the glass, which was a really big point in our game plan going in.”
From the field, the squads were evenly matched—ASU shot .460 from the field and .294 from beyond the arc, while UCLA shot .439 and .300.
Arizona State jumped out to an early 11-6 lead in the first minutes of the game. After junior Gerry Blakes put the Sun Devils on the board with a three-pointer, McKissic and Goodman followed suit with a dunk and three layups, respectively.
The next two minutes saw a 10-point swing, however, as UCLA battled back to go ahead 16-11. ASU then went cold, making only 1-of-8 from the field in a five-minute stretch. At the 10-minute mark, the Bruins led the Sun Devils 20-13.
UCLA continued to hold the lead as the Sun Devils failed to connect on offense, making only 1-of-7 in two minutes while committing four turnovers in three minutes. With five minutes on the clock, the Bruins led the Sun Devils 28-23.
But as the first half was drawing to a close, ASU’s dynamic trio of Goodman, Holder, and McKissic went on a 9-0 run over 1:19. A three-point bucket by Holder cut the deficit to one point with less than two minutes remaining. The Bruins’ Kevon Looney responded with a trey of his own, sending both teams to the locker rooms with a 36-32 UCLA lead at the half.
The Sun Devils chipped away at the Bruins’ lead in the first five minutes of the second half. At the 16:14 mark, ASU was back on top, 41-40. The following eight minutes then saw 10 lead changes as both teams battled back and forth.
ASU went on an 8-0 run in the final five minutes of the game. Despite a late push by UCLA, the Bruins could not overtake the Sun Devils. As time ran out, ASU held on for the 68-66 win.
Making the victory extra sweet, ASU welcomed home former Sun Devil James Harden as it retired his No. 13 jersey to the rafters of Wells Fargo Arena during halftime of Wednesday night’s game.
“Our university, athletic department, and our basketball program are enormously proud of James,” said Sendek. “We all knew he was good, but I think if we were honest with each other, no one would have thought at this age we would be having conversations about him concerning MVP in the NBA, and that he would be one of the best players on the planet, and already have a gold medal. It is just mind-boggling what he is doing. The thing that makes me feel so good inside is that he hasn’t changed. He is a gentleman and he represents us the right way. What he is doing is remarkable.”
“He comes here in the summer and plays pick-up games with us and works out here,” said Goodman of Harden. “We get to interact with him a lot more than your average basketball player, and it was a pleasure having him on the sideline. It definitely boosted our team’s energy knowing we had an alum and NBA superstar supporting us.”
Up next, the Sun Devils host Southern California on Sunday, Feb. 22, at 6:30 p.m. MT. The game will be televised live on Pac-12 Networks.