By Evan Millstein, SDA Student Assistant
Free basketball sometimes comes at a price, this time costing Arizona State an 80-77 loss to Utah despite 23 points from Tra Holder.
"The guys fought hard and battled. It wasn't easy out there," said head coach Bobby Hurley. "We weren't able to get any stops for a while in the first half and that hurt. But our team deserves some credit because they kept after it when things weren't going their way."
Remy Martin intercepted a pass, went coast to coast and dropped in a bucket to cap off a 10-0 personal run to put ASU (15-5, 3-5 Pac-12) ahead 57-55 forcing Utah (13-7, 5-4 Pac-12) to call a timeout with 7:23 remaining in the second half.
"Coach allowed me to go out there and make plays and that's what I did," said Martin. "I was confident throughout the game, but it doesn't matter because we didn't come out with the win tonight."
The final stretch of regulation was played tight as the largest lead featured in the final six minutes was a mere three points.
Guard Shannon Evans II finished at the rim to push the Sun Devil lead to three with nine ticks on the shot clock. Utah's Sedrick Barefield drilled a three-pointer in the final seconds to send the game to overtime tied at 69.
The Utes and Devils clashed in the opening minutes of overtime, as Evans II answered a three-pointer from Tyler Rawson with one of his own. Holder tied the game at 76 with a jumper just over the three-minute mark.
Down two with 18 seconds on the clock, the Sun Devils snagged a few offensive rebounds but couldn't find the bottom of the net. A Utah free-throw would seal the deal for the visitors from Salt Lake City.
The first half was a game of runs for both teams. Arizona State opened 7-of-10 from the field and showcased a 13-3 run over a four-minute span. The Utes responded with a 12-0 sprint of their own. The Sun Devils' largest lead was seven at the 13:40 mark.
Tra Holder passed Jeff Pendergraph for sixth all-time on the Sun Devil career scoring list with 1,599. The senior recorded team-highs in points (23), rebounds (10) and assists (four).
SUN DEVIL CAREER POINTS
1. Eddie House, 1996-2000/2,044
5. Stevin Smith, 1990-94/1,673
6. Tra Holder, 2014-18/1,599
"He hit his free-throws when we needed and made some huge plays at the end of regulation," said Hurley. "He looked like the guy we needed."
Arizona State out muscled Utah in the paint, outscoring the Utes 32-22 in the shaded area. Forward De'Quon Lake scored 10 points as four Sun Devils notched double figures.
Each Sun Devil to step on the floor grabbed a rebound in ASU's 46-39 advantage on the glass.
Arizona State hits the hardwood next against Colorado on Saturday, Jan. 27 in Tempe, Arizona. Tip-off from Wells Fargo Arena is slated for 6 p.m. MST and can be seen on ESPNU.
QUOTES
ARIZONA STATE HEAD COACH BOBBY HURLEY
OPENING STATEMENT
"The guys fought hard and battled. It wasn't easy out there. We weren't able to get any stops for a while in the first half and that hurt. But our team deserves some credit. They kept after it when things weren't going their way."
ON FOULING OR NOT WHILE UP THREE
"I wish I had a timeout. We had to use two in the first half so I didn't have the extra one I like at the end of the game to go over those types of things. We could have talked about whether or not to foul or allow a two or contest the three. But there was just too much going on to relay that message without a timeout."
ON THE OFFENSIVE AND DEFENSIVE PERFORMANCES
"The problem wasn't our offense. They were able to hit some big shots. We didn't get any stops in overtime. The offense was able to keep scoring to keep us in there but we gave up too many points in overtime."
ON BREAKING OUT OF SLUMP
"It's hard to put your finger on it. We have to make shots though. We're getting good, open looks. When you have those opportunities, you need to convert."
ON TRA HOLDER"S PERFORMANCE
"He hit his free throws when we needed and made some huge plays at the end of regulation. He looked like the guy we needed."
ON STRUGGLES IN FIRST GAME OF WEEKEND
"I thought our energy was where it needed to be. Two of those losses have been in overtime and the other was a bang-bang game against Oregon. So we've been right there, just as we've been on the back end of the weekend. We just didn't get it done tonight."
ON THE IMPORTANCE OF STRINGING TOGETHER WINS
"Well, we were able to win 12 in a row so I think we can win two in a row. We just haven't been able to do that so far (in Pac-12 play). It might have something to do with being on the road for five of our first seven. But you have to win at home. Our crowd was phenomenal tonight and they stayed with us even when things weren't looking great."
Free basketball sometimes comes at a price, this time costing Arizona State an 80-77 loss to Utah despite 23 points from Tra Holder.
"The guys fought hard and battled. It wasn't easy out there," said head coach Bobby Hurley. "We weren't able to get any stops for a while in the first half and that hurt. But our team deserves some credit because they kept after it when things weren't going their way."
Remy Martin intercepted a pass, went coast to coast and dropped in a bucket to cap off a 10-0 personal run to put ASU (15-5, 3-5 Pac-12) ahead 57-55 forcing Utah (13-7, 5-4 Pac-12) to call a timeout with 7:23 remaining in the second half.
"Coach allowed me to go out there and make plays and that's what I did," said Martin. "I was confident throughout the game, but it doesn't matter because we didn't come out with the win tonight."
DID YOU KNOW?: The Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year officially returns for the first time in 30+ seasons in 2017-18. To be eligible, players must not exceed more than 1/3 starts in league games (so no more than six starts in the 18-game loop schedule). The previous Pac-10 Sixth Man of the Year was awarded from 1984-87. Why is this important and in this recap? Because Remy Martin – with zero starts -- is averaging 10.2 points, has 55 assists (just 28 turnovers), and is 74-of-149 (.497) from the field, 39-of-52 (.750) from the free throw line and 16-of-37 (.432) from the three-point stripe in 24.7 minutes per game (and again, with zero starts). In seven Pac-12 games he is averaging 10.1 points. He has 14 double-figure scoring games including nine of the past 10 tilts, including his season-best 21 at No. 2 Kansas on Dec. 10.
The final stretch of regulation was played tight as the largest lead featured in the final six minutes was a mere three points.
Guard Shannon Evans II finished at the rim to push the Sun Devil lead to three with nine ticks on the shot clock. Utah's Sedrick Barefield drilled a three-pointer in the final seconds to send the game to overtime tied at 69.
The Utes and Devils clashed in the opening minutes of overtime, as Evans II answered a three-pointer from Tyler Rawson with one of his own. Holder tied the game at 76 with a jumper just over the three-minute mark.
Down two with 18 seconds on the clock, the Sun Devils snagged a few offensive rebounds but couldn't find the bottom of the net. A Utah free-throw would seal the deal for the visitors from Salt Lake City.
The first half was a game of runs for both teams. Arizona State opened 7-of-10 from the field and showcased a 13-3 run over a four-minute span. The Utes responded with a 12-0 sprint of their own. The Sun Devils' largest lead was seven at the 13:40 mark.
Tra Holder passed Jeff Pendergraph for sixth all-time on the Sun Devil career scoring list with 1,599. The senior recorded team-highs in points (23), rebounds (10) and assists (four).
SUN DEVIL CAREER POINTS
1. Eddie House, 1996-2000/2,044
5. Stevin Smith, 1990-94/1,673
6. Tra Holder, 2014-18/1,599
"He hit his free-throws when we needed and made some huge plays at the end of regulation," said Hurley. "He looked like the guy we needed."
Arizona State out muscled Utah in the paint, outscoring the Utes 32-22 in the shaded area. Forward De'Quon Lake scored 10 points as four Sun Devils notched double figures.
Each Sun Devil to step on the floor grabbed a rebound in ASU's 46-39 advantage on the glass.
Arizona State hits the hardwood next against Colorado on Saturday, Jan. 27 in Tempe, Arizona. Tip-off from Wells Fargo Arena is slated for 6 p.m. MST and can be seen on ESPNU.
QUOTES
ARIZONA STATE HEAD COACH BOBBY HURLEY
OPENING STATEMENT
"The guys fought hard and battled. It wasn't easy out there. We weren't able to get any stops for a while in the first half and that hurt. But our team deserves some credit. They kept after it when things weren't going their way."
ON FOULING OR NOT WHILE UP THREE
"I wish I had a timeout. We had to use two in the first half so I didn't have the extra one I like at the end of the game to go over those types of things. We could have talked about whether or not to foul or allow a two or contest the three. But there was just too much going on to relay that message without a timeout."
ON THE OFFENSIVE AND DEFENSIVE PERFORMANCES
"The problem wasn't our offense. They were able to hit some big shots. We didn't get any stops in overtime. The offense was able to keep scoring to keep us in there but we gave up too many points in overtime."
ON BREAKING OUT OF SLUMP
"It's hard to put your finger on it. We have to make shots though. We're getting good, open looks. When you have those opportunities, you need to convert."
ON TRA HOLDER"S PERFORMANCE
"He hit his free throws when we needed and made some huge plays at the end of regulation. He looked like the guy we needed."
ON STRUGGLES IN FIRST GAME OF WEEKEND
"I thought our energy was where it needed to be. Two of those losses have been in overtime and the other was a bang-bang game against Oregon. So we've been right there, just as we've been on the back end of the weekend. We just didn't get it done tonight."
ON THE IMPORTANCE OF STRINGING TOGETHER WINS
"Well, we were able to win 12 in a row so I think we can win two in a row. We just haven't been able to do that so far (in Pac-12 play). It might have something to do with being on the road for five of our first seven. But you have to win at home. Our crowd was phenomenal tonight and they stayed with us even when things weren't looking great."