ASU Basketball: Heartbreaking loss to Syracuse ends Devils’ 2018 season

A game where the ASU basketball team attacked well on both ends of the floor came down to an 18-7 run for Syracuse that closed the Sun Devils’ memorable season.

It looked like it was meant to be.

Down two with 14 seconds remaining, the Sun Devils had possession of the final play in their First Four battle with Syracuse. Seniors Tra Holder, Shannon Evans and Kodi Justice stood wide apart, looking to create separation for one last shot.

For the entirety of the 2018 season, the “Guard U” triplet had delivered in moments like these.

Now, they had a chance to do it in the NCAA Tournament.

After dribbling down the clock, Holder made his move down the left sideline. With Orange defenders smothering any attempt at the basket, he kicked it out to Evans in the left corner.

Evans, noticing the closeout of the Syracuse defender, pump-faked and pulled back toward the left wing. He squared up, flicked his wrist and let loose a go-ahead 3-point attempt he’d likely been dreaming of since he was a young child.

And boy, did it look good.

The shot was on line, but it kicked off the back rim, and after a scrum for the loose ball, Syracuse forward Frank Howard collected a rebound with four-tenths of a second remaining.

And just like that, it was all over.

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The Sun Devils held the lead for the majority of the second half in their 60-56 loss to Syracuse Wednesday night in Dayton, Ohio, but similar late-season constraints proved to be too much to overcome down the stretch.

Trailing 30-28 at halftime, the Sun Devils came out firing in the second half. Multiple ball rotations on the zone led to open threes for Holder and Evans, and a runner in the paint from Holder would extend an 8-0 run for ASU in the first 1:29.

Coach Jim Boeheim called timeout, and his team quickly responded. Oshae Brissett would hit a three-pointer that ended the ASU run and one that would cut the six point lead to just two with 7:51 remaining.

Then, the tide roared back in ASU’s favor. After a De’Quon Lake putback, Justice nailed a deep three in transition, and the Sun Devils were suddenly back up seven with seven minutes to go.

“We were just aggressive,” Justice said of the runs. “We were making plays. We were making shots. We were just executing our offense.”

Despite facing a lengthy zone defense, the Sun Devils executed one of their best team offensive performances of the season. Of the 21 field goals they made, 19 of them came off of assists.

In comparison, ASU had been averaging 13 assists per game in Pac-12 play.

“There aren’t a lot of great looks out there to be had,” said Hurley of the Syracuse zone. “And these guys did a great job to even move without the ball and find open areas, so we were able to get some clean looks late in the game.”

With a chance to take hold of the game, the Sun Devils suddenly went cold. The Orange went on a 8-0 run after another Boeheim timeout, with a three-point play from Brissett putting the exclamation point on the spurt.

Justice hit a three to put the Sun Devils back ahead, but it wasn’t enough to stop the bleeding. Syracuse would respond with five straight points, including a clutch three-pointer from Tyus Battle to give the Orange a three-point lead and control of momentum with 1:21 to play.

The Sun Devils would trail for the remainder of the game.

“It was a rock fight,” Hurley said. “And we just didn’t make enough shots.”

Combined with the missed shots was a problem the Sun Devils encountered in last week’s Pac-12 Tournament loss to Colorado: poor free throw shooting.

ASU was able to get in the bonus nine minutes into the first half, but a 3-for-7 clip from the stripe kept them from making an impact in that area.

On top of that, the Sun Devils would miss all three of their free throw attempts in the second half.

“I thought our free throws hurt us, going 3-for-10,” Hurley said. “And then we shot 34 [percent] from 3 and we made 11, which was great. But we just needed to hit, like two or three more.”

Or in Evans’ case, maybe just one more.

After being eliminated in the NCAA Tournament, the Sun Devils finish the 2018 season with a 20-12 overall record. It may have been a bumpy ride, but it was a season that set the precedent for great things to come in the ASU basketball program.

And it couldn’t have been done without Evans, Justice and Holder.

Next: ASU Basketball: End of ‘Guard U’ a chance to grow

“They’ve elevated Arizona State basketball,” Hurley said. “They’ll have a special place in my heart. I’ve been through so many wars with these guys. And they show up and they compete and you’re going to have to play our team for 40 minutes to win.”

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