By Cal Aboud, SDA Media Relations Student Assistant
LOS ANGELES, CA. – Trailing by 10 at half, and by as much as 17 midway through the second period Arizona State would mount a furious comeback climbing within just two of host USC Thursday night at the Galen Center. The Sun Devils, a proven resilient bunch, appeared to be on their way to yet another improbable second-half comeback.
QUICK NOTES
--The USC game marked the ninth time Tra Holder (21 points) led the team in scoring, after doing it just one time last season.
--Tra Holder in the past six games is averaging 20.3 points. He is shooting 38-of-77 (.494) from the field and 14-of-29 (.483) from the three-point stripe in that time.
--Obinna Oleka made his first career start. It marked the third starting lineup combination used by Arizona State this year (Willie Atwood, Gerry Blakes, Tra Holder, Eric Jacobsen and Oleka).
--Tra Holder posted his third straight 20-point game with 21, as three of his top four scoring games have happened in the past three games.
TRA HOLDER 20+ 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)
21 at USC (1/7/16)
--Willie Atwood (11 points) had his 11th game in double digits after doing it just twice last year.
--ASU is averaging 41.7 points in the second half.
Ultimately, a series of forced shots resulting in transition scores for the Trojans would be prove costly for Arizona State (10-5, 0-2 Pac-12), as USC would cap a 75-65 victory courtesy of a 10-2 run.
Despite struggling to find a groove offensively in the first half in which Bobby Hurley’s squad connected on just 31.3 percent (10-32) from the field, Arizona State managed to turn the page down the stretch.
Down 13, 63-50 at the 4:56 mark, a three by sophomore guard Tra Holder would trigger what would accumulate to a 13-2 run for the Sun Devils. After a Holder score at 3:01 would cut the deficit to eight, the guard would once again find the bottom of the net getting a triple to go off a Trojan turnover. The Sun Devils who benefited late from compounding turnover problems for USC, would steal the inbound out of the timeout courtesy of the trap, leading to yet another perimeter score by Holder, his third of the half, moving the Sun Devils within in two, 65-63 with 1:49 remaining.
Seeking to retain to the lead for the first time since the opening minute of the contest, Holder would fire once again from beyond arc only for the Trojans to grab the miss and finish with a runout basket. With time waning, the Sun Devils saw two additional failed three-point attempts open to outlet passes for fast break scores by the Trojans who would close ahead 75-65
In spite of a poor collective offensive showing, Arizona State saw standout performances from the likes of Holder and Willie Atwood. Holder who is now averaging 15.2 points on the season, scored a game-high 21 (4-6 3P), marking his third 20+ point outing in a row. The sophomore has now led the Sun Devils in scoring nine times this season, a significant figure considering he did so only once during his freshman campaign.
Spight provided a much needed spark off the bench posting 11 points on 5-of-13 shooting. Atwood who recorded his fifth double-figure scoring outing in a row, netted 11, going 2-4 from beyond the arc.
The Trojans who were led by a team-high 15 points from guard Julian Jacobs, utilized their length, winning the battle on the boards 42-34, while finishing with nine team blocks.
UP NEXT… The Sun Devils head to Pauley Pavilion to take on the (10-6) UCLA Bruins on Saturday, Jan.9 at 2 p.m. PT. The game is slated to 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.
The Bruins are hot off an 87-84 victory over No. 7 Arizona. The Sun Devils 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.