(Photo: Brady Klain/WCSN)
Over a month ago, the Devils fell short to the Oregon Ducks. In that contest, both teams had similar shooting percentages. However, in the box score, there was one glaring difference — the points in the paint. Oregon had a 38-16 advantage, completely dominating the inside. They also dominated the glass, as they finished with 15 offensive rebounds, leading to 15 second-chance points.
Fast forward a month, and the numbers are eerily similar.
ASU fell to the Ducks 75-68. Oregon outscored the Sun Devils (19-8, 7-8) 36-14 in the paint on Thursday evening. They had 12 offensive rebounds which led to 16 second-chance points. “They kind of bullied us around the basket,” coach Hurley said following the game. “They’re big. They got some athletes.”
Oregon’s (18-10, 8-7) dominance inside wasn’t the only storyline on the night. Tra Holder, who leads the team in scoring, finished the night scoreless. “I don’t know,” Hurley said in response to why Holder’s shot wouldn’t fall. “Guys are going to have games like this. It’s hard to overcome it against a quality opponent on the road.” In 30 minutes, Holder was 0-for-6 from the field. He had three turnovers, and finished the game with a -19, the worst on the team. Hurley wasn’t worried about his senior guard’s performance, though. “He’ll bounce back.”
With Tra going scoreless, the Devils had to look elsewhere for points. Shannon Evans led the way for ASU, finishing with 25 points. He was only 6-of-15 from the field, and missed eight of his 11 attempts from deep. Evans was able to get to the line with ease, and more importantly, convert, as he knocked down all 10 of his free-throw attempts.
Kodi Justice had a quiet 12 points, but other than that, there was no contribution from the starters. Romello White, Mickey Mitchell, and Tra Holder finished the evening with a combined two points. “When you have three starters that combine to score two points with the minutes they played, that’s not a formula for success.” Hurley said.
Getting the start in place of Vitaliy Shibel was Mickey Mitchell. “I liked how he played and competed against Arizona,” Hurley said. “I liked him matching up with (Mikyle) Mcintosh. Physically, I thought he was best suited to guard him.” Mitchell knocked down the first shot of the game, but was quiet after that. He only found himself on the court for seven minutes on the evening.
With all the negatives, there were some positives to take away, most notably from the bench. De’Quon Lake played an electrifying 28 minutes. The forward only scored six points, but had a remarkable performance on the defensive end. The transfer finished with 12 rebounds and five blocked shots. “He did a very good job,” Hurley said. “The way he competed and went for the rebounds and protected the rim.”
Remy Martin had a stellar performance off the bench as well. In 27 minutes, the freshman added 15 points, knocking down five of his 11 shots. Another bright spot off the bench was Kimani Lawrence, adding eight. Most notably, knocking down two 3’s, the first time he’s made a three all season. “It was good to see him make a couple,” Hurley said. “He’s slowly but surely coming into his own.”
After once being the No. 3 team in the country, ASU finds themselves unranked, and with the unimaginable thought of possibly being left out of the tournament. “We got to shoot the ball better, we can’t keep doing this,” Hurley said. “We got to find that.”
