ASU Basketball: Hot shooting gives Devils new life

After shooting 0-for-10 from deep in the first half, an unlikely hero sparked the hottest shooting stretch ASU basketball has experienced in nearly a month.

Minutes into Arizona State’s 80-66 victory over Colorado, freshman Vitaliy Shibel passed away an open shot, much to the dismay of senior guard Shannon Evans.

“We don’t pass up shots here,” Evans said. “You got a good shot let it go.”

When the opportunity came again, the stretch forward was ready. Shibel connected on a corner three from an assist by Evans for the first points of the second half. More importantly, the shot was the team’s first made three-pointer of the game.

An unlikely candidate amongst a team comprised of shooters, Shibel was the catalyst responsible for a second-half outburst. The Sun Devils caught fire from distance, making six shots beyond the arc in a span of 3:57 with Evans and Holder converting three apiece.

“We knew once we started seeing a few go in, we we’re going to bust it open and that’s what we did,” said Evans.

Prior to the barrage of shots, ASU trailed 51-47 before taking a 65-55 lead after Evans fired up the Wells Fargo Arena crowd with the sixth and final shot of the stretch.

In its previous eight conference games, ASU shot 37 percent from deep before a jump to 47 percent in the second half. The offensive surge came when the team desperately needed it, climbing back to within a game of .500 in Pac-12 play.

Next: ASU Basketball: Three-point barrage lifts Sun Devils over Colorado

The Sun Devils will look to carry their momentum as the second half of the conference schedule begins with a road trip to Washington and Washington.

All quotes in this article were obtained firsthand by Devils in Detail unless otherwise noted.