Evan Millstein, SDA Media Relations Student Assistant
TEMPE- The Sun Devil men's basketball team split its first Pac-12 home stand following an 88-82 setback to Utah on Saturday afternoon at Wells Fargo Arena.
Guard Shannon Evans II paced the Sun Devils (9-8, 2-2 Pac-12) with 21 points (9-of-16), while forward Kodi Justice notched 17 points and five rebounds.
SHANNON EVANS II 20-POINT SCORING GAMES (14/5 AT ASU)
33 vs. Cornell (1/3/15)
28 vs. UNLV (12/3/16)
25 at Ball State (2/4/15)
24 at UT-Arlington (11/18/14)
23 vs. Central Arkansas (12/22/16)
23 at Western Michigan (1/10/15)
23 at Grand Canyon (11/25/14)
21 vs. Utah (1/7/17)
21 vs. Tulane (11/18/16)
21 at Kent State (2/28/15)
21 at St. Bonaventure (12/3/14)
20 vs. Niagara (12/19/14)
20 vs. Manhattan (12/21/13)
20 vs. Cal Poly (11/13/16)
KODI JUSTICE TOP SCORING GAMES
20 vs. Citadel (11/23/16)
20 vs. Houston Baptist (12/19/15)
17 vs. Utah (1/7/17)
17 vs. Washington (1/16/16)
Senior Obinna Oleka came up just short of another double-double, but still turned in a solid performance recording eight points while grabbing 13 boards in 34 minutes of action.
Senior Torian Graham led the way for the Sun Devils off the bench, adding 15 points and six rebounds in 31 minutes. Freshman Ramon Vila added his third career start to his resume and scored five points (two-of-three) in 15 minutes of action.
The Sun Devils led 37-34 at recess, after shooting 50 percent in the first half (15-of-30). ASU moved the ball well during the first 20 minutes, notching seven assists on its first 15 buckets.
Utah (11-4, 2-1) outscored ASU 25-14 over the first 10 minutes of the second half to take a 59-51 lead. The Utes eventually extended their advantage to 10 with 2:53 remaining.
Down but not out, the Sun Devils clawed back, and, after an Obinna Oleka slam, found themselves down by just two points with 38 seconds to play. The Sun Devils could get no closer, however, as the Utes went 6-of-8 at the charity strike in the final 34 seconds while ASU made one of its final five shots.
The Sun Devils return to action on Thursday (7 p.m. MT) when they travel to Tucson to take on No. 17 Arizona. Half a Territorial Cup Series point will be at stake in Thursday's game, which will be televised by ESPN or ESPN2 (TBD).
More to come.
TEMPE- The Sun Devil men's basketball team split its first Pac-12 home stand following an 88-82 setback to Utah on Saturday afternoon at Wells Fargo Arena.
Guard Shannon Evans II paced the Sun Devils (9-8, 2-2 Pac-12) with 21 points (9-of-16), while forward Kodi Justice notched 17 points and five rebounds.
SHANNON EVANS II 20-POINT SCORING GAMES (14/5 AT ASU)
33 vs. Cornell (1/3/15)
28 vs. UNLV (12/3/16)
25 at Ball State (2/4/15)
24 at UT-Arlington (11/18/14)
23 vs. Central Arkansas (12/22/16)
23 at Western Michigan (1/10/15)
23 at Grand Canyon (11/25/14)
21 vs. Utah (1/7/17)
21 vs. Tulane (11/18/16)
21 at Kent State (2/28/15)
21 at St. Bonaventure (12/3/14)
20 vs. Niagara (12/19/14)
20 vs. Manhattan (12/21/13)
20 vs. Cal Poly (11/13/16)
KODI JUSTICE TOP SCORING GAMES
20 vs. Citadel (11/23/16)
20 vs. Houston Baptist (12/19/15)
17 vs. Utah (1/7/17)
17 vs. Washington (1/16/16)
Senior Obinna Oleka came up just short of another double-double, but still turned in a solid performance recording eight points while grabbing 13 boards in 34 minutes of action.
Senior Torian Graham led the way for the Sun Devils off the bench, adding 15 points and six rebounds in 31 minutes. Freshman Ramon Vila added his third career start to his resume and scored five points (two-of-three) in 15 minutes of action.
The Sun Devils led 37-34 at recess, after shooting 50 percent in the first half (15-of-30). ASU moved the ball well during the first 20 minutes, notching seven assists on its first 15 buckets.
Utah (11-4, 2-1) outscored ASU 25-14 over the first 10 minutes of the second half to take a 59-51 lead. The Utes eventually extended their advantage to 10 with 2:53 remaining.
Down but not out, the Sun Devils clawed back, and, after an Obinna Oleka slam, found themselves down by just two points with 38 seconds to play. The Sun Devils could get no closer, however, as the Utes went 6-of-8 at the charity strike in the final 34 seconds while ASU made one of its final five shots.
The Sun Devils return to action on Thursday (7 p.m. MT) when they travel to Tucson to take on No. 17 Arizona. Half a Territorial Cup Series point will be at stake in Thursday's game, which will be televised by ESPN or ESPN2 (TBD).
More to come.