ASU basketball took on and defeated Oregon State 77-75, in what many people believed to be a must-win game for the 11th-ranked Sun Devils
After a gut punch defeat to the Oregon Ducks only two days ago, the Sun Devils came out of the gates rather slowly against the Beavers.
The first half saw the Sun Devils struggle on offense shooting 12-of-29 (41.4 percent) from the field and mustering only 33 points. Tra Holder‘s struggles continued, he went 1-of-9 from the field and only scored four points.
The Sun Devils defense showed up against the Beavers in the first half and kept the game close. Oregon State was held to just 42.9 percent shooting and only hit four three pointers in the first half, leaving the game wide open in the second half.
Smelling an opportunity for an upset, the Beavers came out in the second half firing. The Beavers led the Sun Devils 50-38 at the 15:44 mark in the second half, and an eerily familiar feeling was creeping into the Well Fargo Arena.
“We kind of came out a little lethargic for the second half, and we knew that if we didn’t change something quick, we would give this game away.” senior guard Kodi Justice said.
The once No. 3 nationally ranked powerhouse was in serious danger of losing two consecutive teams with one thing in common, both opponents were unranked. With the game in danger of slipping away, the Sun Devils stormed back.
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With 11:20 left to play, the Sun Devils went on a blistering 9-0 run to bring the lead down to four. ASU wanted to play at their pace, and that’s just what they did. With 9:20 left to play, the Sun Devils trailed 57-53 and momentum was back on ASU’s side.
The surge was led by Shannon Evans II (22 points/six rebounds/seven assists). He scored all 22 of his points in the second half alone.
Evans hit the shot of shots after stealing the ball with 1:40 left in a one possession game. The senior stalwart calmly, yet ferociously, drained a deep three-pointer to put the Devils up 73-69 with 1:20 left in regulation.
“Our energy picked back up, we were picking back up full court,” Justice said. “We were pressuring the ball and speeding them up so they could play at our pace.”
Putting their stamp on the second half and playing their style, the Sun Devils were able to win the second half 44-41 while shooting 53.6 percent from the field, and 57 percent from three.
Head coach Bobby Hurley said he needed more production from the bench after losing to the Oregon Ducks and the Sun Devils got just that against the Beavers. All nine ASU players who entered the game played at least ten minutes, with four players scoring in double digits.
De’Quon Lake (11 points/six rebounds) and Remy Martin (12 points/three assists/three rebounds) led the way off the bench for the Sun Devils. The ASU bench squad scored 27 points against the Beavers giving the team one of its most complete victories of the season.
“None of us wanted to lose. I mean we’re trying to get back on a winning streak trying to get back on the right track,” Evans said. “We get higher percentage shots when we drive and kick it, things like that. So we’re trying to use each other and feed off of each other, and that’s what I think we did.” he continued.”
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The Sun Devils earned their victory against the Beavers in classic and resilient fashion. This victory could be seen as a turning point in Pac-12 play (2-3) for the Sun Devils. ASU will have a chance to rise above .500 in conference play as they take on unranked Stanford and Cal in the next week.
All quotes in this article were obtained firsthand by Devils in Detail unless otherwise noted.