By Cal Aboud, SDA Media Relations Student Assistant
TUCSON, Ariz. – The Arizona State men’s basketball team battled for much of the first half, before falling 99-61 to No.12 Arizona Wednesday night at the McKale Center.
Leading the way for Arizona State were Juniors Andre Spight and Obinna Oleka, who scored 15 respectively. Spight on his 21st birthday, finished 3-of-8 from beyond the arc. Oleka, who has led the Sun Devils in rebounds in three consecutive games, added seven boards.
Guards Tra Holder and Gerry Blakes also finished the contest in double-figure scoring, each netting 10.
The Sun Devils closed shooting 32.3 percent (20-62) from the field in comparison to a 57.1 percent (36-63) shooting effort from the Wildcats.
The Wildcats, who had five players score in double-figures, were paced by a 20-point, eight-rebound outing from their freshman guard Alonzo Trier.
Struggling to combat Arizona’s size advantage, the Sun Devils were outrebounded 50-26, while being outscored 52-14 in the paint. The Wildcats also finished with an edge in second-chance points (18-6) and transition scoring (13-0).
In a seesaw of a first half, the Sun Devils would lead for a short period of time. Despite the Wildcats opening on an 8-0 run, Arizona State would rally. Spurred by a Kodi Justice layup at the 10:29 mark, Arizona State would string together a 10-0 run capped off by a pair of threes from Spight and Oleka. The Maroon and Gold would then capture the lead, 20-19, the following possession on a trey from Blakes.
Arizona State’s single-point advantage was short lived, as the Wildcats would outscore the Sun Devils 19-4 the remainder of the period, putting Bobby Hurley’s squad down 38-24 at the half. Struggling to emulate their early offensive production, the Sun Devils would miss 12-of-13 shots before recess.
Arizona would keep their foot on the gas in the second half. Shooting 70 percent (21-30) from the field, the Wildcats fired on all cylinders offensively down the stretch, en route to a 99-61 victory.
UP NEXT…
The Sun Devils have the weekend off, before returning to action Thursday, Feb. 25, traveling to Salt Lake City to take on Utah. The game is slated to be televised by Pac-12 Networks.