By Cal Aboud, SDA Media Relations Student Assistant
PULLMAN, Wash. ? Led by a game-high 16-point outing from sophomore guard Tra Holder, the Arizona State men’s basketball team picked up their first conference road win of the season, cruising to a 67-55 victory over Washington State Saturday night at Beasley Coliseum.
The Sun Devils improved to 13-11 on the season, 3-8 in conference play.
Shooting 36.1 percent (22-61) from the field, Arizona State statistically didn’t have its best outing, but benefited from outside scoring from the likes of Obinna Oleka (3 three-pointers), Andre Spight (13 points, most since the second game of the year), and Holder (2-of-4 from three-point stripe).
Four Sun Devils finished the contest in double-figure scoring. Oleka,who has been Arizona State’s second-leading scorer since the dawn of the New Year at 12.4 ppg., netted 13. One of the best players in the league at the foul line, the forward has made 24 consecutive attempts at the charity stripe, dating back to?Arizona State's?matchup with Cal on Jan. 21.
Andre Spight, flipped the page on what was a tough month of?January for the junior guard, providing the maroon and gold and a much needed spark of the bench with 11 first-half points.
Gerry Blakes scored 11 (including the first seven of the second half), while grabbing a game-high seven boards.
A gritty defensive performance, highlighted by seven steals and 17 forced turnovers, proved to be the difference for the Sun Devils, who capitalized with 16 points on takeaways and matched a season-low by committing just eight.
Out-rebounding the Cougars 38-37, 16-7 on the offensive boards, Bobby Hurley’s squad finished with 13 second-chance points.
The Sun Devils got off to a sluggish start in the early going. After Holder scores on consecutive processions would give Arizona State a 5-2 lead at 18:16 mark, the Sun Devils would fail to find the bottom of the net for a span of four minutes.
In need of offensive production, the Sun Devils got a jolt in the form of a three-point expos? from Spight who over a four and half minute stretch scored 11, connecting on three three-points attempts, while assisting another. Arizona State would maintain a sizable advantage over the Cougars, before an Oleka half-court heave at the buzzer would give them a 40-32 lead at the half.
The Sun Devils continued to expand on their lead early in the second half, opening on a 12-4 run, giving Hurley’s squad their second largest lead of the game, 54-36, with 12:31 remaining.
Arizona State would move out to as much as a 19-point-lead down the stretch
UP NEXT...
Arizona State hosts the LA schools, first taking on the (15-5; 7-3) USC Trojans on Fri., Feb. 12 at 6 p.m. MT. The game is slated to televised by the 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. The Sun Devils lost their first meeting with Trojans Jan.7, 75-65, in Los Angeles.