LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The Arizona State men's basketball team battled to stay close the entire way, before falling 82-79 to USC Sunday night at the Galen Center.
Senior forward Obinna Oleka led the way for ASU with 17 points and 14 rebounds, recording his 11th double-double of the season and 15th of his career. Senior guard Torian Graham scored a team-high 24 points, 18 of those in the second half, for his eighth 20-point performance of the season.
Junior guards Shannon Evans II (14 points), Tra Holder (14 points), and Kodi Justice (10 points) also scored in double-figures for the Maroon and Gold.
The Sun Devils finished the night shooting 50.9 percent (29-57) from the field in comparison to a 51.6 percent (33-64) shooting effort from the Trojans. ASU continued their strong performance from the free throw line, shooting at an 86 percent (12-14) clip. The Sun Devils sent the Trojans to the line a total of three times on the night.
Junior guard Elijah Stewart paced the Trojan offense with 29 points on 7-of-13 shooting from three. Junior guard Jordan McLaughlin added 18 points while dishing out eight assists.
As a team, USC shot 51.9 percent (14-27) from three while assisting on 22 of their 33 made baskets. The Trojans forced 15 turnovers, turning those into 24 points.
After a tight start to the game, USC jumped out to a 12-point lead at the 8:53 mark in the first half. Two of four first half three pointers from Shannon Evans II cut the Trojan lead to 29-25. ASU would cut the lead to 31-30 after a Tra Holder free throw to complete a three-point play. USC would follow with an 11-3 run to give the Trojans a 45-38 halftime advantage.
A hot start to the second half by USC led to the Trojans matching their largest lead of the game at 59-47 with 13:51 left. The Sun Devils responded with a 9-0 run capped by a deep three-pointer from Kodi Justice to trim the lead to 59-56. The Sun Devils would reduce the lead to as little as one before an 8-0 USC run down the stretch put the Trojans back up by double-digits with 5:35 left.
The Sun Devils competed until the final whistle, holding USC scoreless in the final 3:13 of the game during a 7-0 run, making it 82-79 Trojans. ASU forced three turnovers in the final two minutes of the game with excellent pressure defense, ending the game on a 12-1 run. The Sun Devils would have two opportunities from behind the arc to tie the game in the final few possessions.
UP NEXT…
The Sun Devils return to Wells Fargo Arena on Wednesday, Jan. 25 at 9 p.m. MT to face the Washington Huskies. The game willl be televised by ESPNU and heard on 98.7 FM in Phoenix.