By Cal Aboud, SDA Media Relations Student Assistant
TEMPE, Ariz. – The Arizona State men’s basketball team (10-4, 0-1 Pac-12) dropped a hard-fought 94-82 conference-opener to Arizona Sunday afternoon at Wells Fargo Arena.
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW...
√ Tra Holder is averaging 18.4 points in the past seven games.
√ Willie Atwood is averaging 12.8 points in the past eight games and has made 29-of-32 free throws in the past five games.
√ ASU is now 54-10 (.844) at home in the past four seasons.
√ ASU is 230-of-312 (.737) from the free throw line in the past 13 games.
√ Obinna Oleka is averaging 12.5 points in the past four games.
Fresh off a home sweep of CSU Bakersfield, Stephen F. Austin, and Houston Baptist, this afternoon’s loss marks the Sun Devils first in just under a month (last No. 5 Kentucky Dec. 12).
Despite trailing by just six, 41-35, at the half, a string of runs by the Wildcats down the stretch proved to be too much for Bobby Hurley’s squad.
The Sun Devils finished the contest shooting 46 percent (29-63) from the field, 32 percent (8-25) from beyond the arc, and 84.2 percent (16-19) from the charity stripe.
In total four Sun Devils score in double-figures. Tra Holder six days removed from scoring to a career-high 23 at home against CSUB, once again reset the mark notching 24 points (7-16 FG/3-6 3P/7-7 FT) along with a team-high four assists. The sophomore guard is averaging 20.2 points per game over the course of the past five games.
TRA HOLDER TOP FIVE SCORING GAMES
24 vs. #8 Arizona (1/3/16)
23 vs. Cal State Bakersfield (12/28/15)
22 vs. North Carolina State (11/23/15)
19 at UNLV (12/16/15)
18 vs. Stephen F. Austin (12/22/15)
WILLIE ATWOOD TOP FIVE SCORING GAMES
15 vs. #18 Texas A&M (12/5/15)
14 vs. #8 Arizona (1/3/16)
14 at UNLV (12/16/15)
14 at Creighton (12/2/15)
MOST SUN DEVIL POINTS IN PAC-10/12 OPENERS (1987-88 TO PRESENT)
31-Jeff Pendergraph at Stanford (Jan. 2, 2009)
30-Alton Mason vs. Stanford (Jan. 4, 2001)
26-Ron Riley at Stanford (Jan. 4, 1996)
25-Mike Batiste vs. Stanford (Jan. 2, 1997)
24-Tra Holder vs. Arizona (Jan. 3, 2016)
24-Eddie House at Stanford (Jan. 6, 2000)
24-Jeremy Veal vs. USC (Jan. 3, 1998)
Obinna Oleka led all scorers off the bench with 17 points, going 6-7 from the field while making 2-of-3 from three.
Senior forward Willie Atwood who is beginning to fit the mold of a proven offensive commodity, recorded his fifth-consecutive double-figure outing, tenth of the season, netting 14.
Gerry Blakes had a solid performance, finishing with 12 points and a team-high five rebounds.
27 team turnovers (19 in 2H) proved to be problematic for Arizona State, resulting in 27 points on 36 attempts for the Wildcats at the foul line.
The Sun Devils jumped out to a nine-point lead, 28-19, midway through the first half, by virtue of exceptional perimeter shooting, forcing the Wildcats to call timeout at the 8:57 mark. Sean Miller and company would then move out to a 14-0 run spurred by score by Kadeem Allen, which led to Arizona ultimately outscoring the Sun Devils 22-7 for the remainder of the period.
Entering the second half trailing by six Arizona State continued to claw and fight pulling within just three with 15:00 remaining off a score by Atwood. Arizona would manage to create some separation down the stretch, with Gabe York who recorded a team-high 22 points for the Wildcats, connecting on trio of three-pointers in a two-minute span.
Arizona State down 16 would manage one last push. Triggered by a four-point play from Kodi Justice, the Sun Devils managed to cut the deficit to just six, 78-72, at the 2:49 mark, before the Wildcats would top off of the contest at the foul line 94-82.
Up Next…
The Sun Devils travel to Los Angeles, California to take on the (12-3) USC Trojans Thursday, Jan.7 at 8:30 p.m. MST. The game will be televised on Pac-12 Networks. Tim Healey and Kyle Dodd have the Sun Devil radio call on the Sun Devil Sports Radio Network (620 AM), presented by MidFirst Bank.
ASU returns to Los Angeles, as it missed the USC/UCLA road swing in 2014-15. ASU last won at USC 62-53 on Jan. 5, 2012, and last won at UCLA on 61-58 in overtime over the ninth-ranked Bruins on Jan. 17, 2009 in a CBS broadcast with Derek Glasser and James Harden leading the way.