ASU Men’s Basketball: Devils Come Alive in Second-Half, Earn Much Needed Win

(Photo: Nicholas Badders/ WCSN)

With just over 10 minutes remaining, Tra Holder pulled up from deep and knocked down his second consecutive three. With nearly 14,000 in attendance, Wells Fargo Arena erupted, leading to everyone getting up from their seats. This gave the Sun Devils (16-5, 4-5) a two-point lead, a lead they wouldn’t relinquish for the remainder of the evening.

A 48-point second half helped ASU get their revenge over the Colorado Buffaloes (12-10, 4-6), earning an 80-66 victory. Coach Hurley attributed the victory to the defense. “It all started with us getting confidence from our defense,” Hurley said. “I know it’s been our best in Pac-12 play, and possibly the best all year.”

The Devils were able to force 17 Colorado turnovers, which led to 19 points for ASU. According to Shannon Evans, this is what helped lead the Devils to a victory. “It’s very important just for the simple fact that we like to get out into transition,” Evans said. “That’s where we score a lot. Guys love transition 3’s and transition dunks. That’s how we like to play, and in order to do that, we need to create turnovers.” They also held the Buffs to only 30 percent from deep (6-for-20).

On the night, the Sun Devils shot 32 percent from beyond the arc. A number that doesn’t stand out at all. Tonight, it was a tale of two halfs. In the first half, the Devils struggled. They hoisted up 10 from deep, seeing none of them go in. Something had to change. Coming out of the locker room, Vitaliy Shibel knocked one down from deep, ending the drought. Seeing the ball finally go through the net must have sparked the Devils, as they winded up knocking down 10 in the second half.

At one point, ASU was 3-for-21 (14%) from deep. That’s when it began to rain. After missing his first two attempts in the first half, Tra Holder knocked down back-to-back 3’s, giving the Devils a two-point lead. Shannon Evans, who was 0-for-3 in the first half, immediately knocked one down from deep shortly after. This was when the fun began. “When he’s hitting those momentum shots, it really ignites what we’re doing,” Hurley said on Evans’ second-half performance.

“It felt like it was the summertime,” Evans said. “To see a few go in, and guys get momentum and confidence is great.” The two guards would exchange the deep ball, knocking down four consecutively. Evans and Holder would finish with four on the night, respectively. “We knew once started to see a few go in, we were going to bust it open,” Evans said. “That’s what we did.” When the three-point run began, ASU found themselves down four. When it ended, they found themselves up 12.

Tra Holder had another impressive overall night. The senior finished with 22 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block. Shannon Evans added 19.

Looking at the box score, it’s shocking to see Colorado lose by 14 points. They shot a better percentage from the field, had more rebounds, bench points, blocks, and assists. That’s what is so great about the game of basketball. Games aren’t won in the box score, they’re won on the court.

De’Quon had a great game off the bench for ASU. The transfer finished with 10 points, grabbing five rebounds and swatting away two shots in only 18 minutes of work.

“This is a good league,” Hurley said. “It’s an underrated league.” This was the ninth conference game of the year for the Devils, marking the halfway point. Bobby Hurley knows these final nine games are crucial for how they finish out the season. “You feel good knowing you have a majority of the games left at home,” Hurley said. “We have to play better in the last nine. I have a feeling we can use the momentum that we got here in the second-half, and bring that into the second-half of Pac-12 play.”

This win gives the Devils 16, the most in the Bobby Hurley era. ASU is off until Thursday, where they’ll head to Washington to take on the Huskies (14-6, 4-3). The game is at 9 p.m. MT, and can be seen on the Pac-12 network.