(Photo: Blake Benard/WCSN)
In a bizarre, foul-infested game, the Arizona State Sun Devils fell to the Washington Huskies 95-83 in overtime and continue to search for their their first Pac-12 road victory of the season. Sophomore guard Tra Holder had 18 points for the Sun Devils, and UW freshman guard Dejounte Murray led all scorers with with 34.
About five minutes in, the Sun Devils led the Huskies 8-5 thanks to two early three-pointers from senior guard Gerry Blakes and sophomore guard Tra Holder. Washington on the other hand had four turnovers in the first four minutes. Right out of the first media timeout, Holder drove and kicked to sophomore guard Kodi Justice for another three, and they took an 11-5 early lead.
The Sun Devils led by as many as 11 in the first six minutes, but their largest lead of the first ten minutes was 14 when they took a 21-7 lead making eight of their first 13 shots, and holding Washington to make only three of their first 11. ASU had also made four three pointers while the Huskies started 0-5 from beyond the arc.
Washington went on a quick 9-0 run including four straight points from freshman guard Dejounte Murray, and found themselves right back in it down 21-16.
At the 4:40 mark in the first half, Holder hit his fourth three-pointer on four attempts to give the Sun Devils a 13-point lead. Holder and Blakes were outscoring Andrews and Murray at this point, compiling 19 compared to the UW duo’s 11.
At halftime, ASU led 44-32 with Holder leading the Sun Devils with 12 points. Murray had 13 at the half for UW, and Andrews, the Pac-12’s leading scorer, had two points with no field goals. ASU shot 60 percent from the floor and 57 percent from three.
The Huskies cut the lead to nine three minutes in, but Blakes quickly responded to their early run with a three. Washington cut it to eight minutes later, but Holder responded by hitting a three of his own to make it 51-40.
Following a turnover off of a full-court press, Washington freshman forward Matisse Thybulle drained a three to cut the lead to five. The following possession, Thybulle blocked a shot by Holder which led to Murray scoring and drawing the foul. After converting on the free throw attempt, Washington forced another turnover thanks to full-court pressure and Murray got to the line yet again, and knocked down both to tie up the game at 51 with 12:54 remaining.
With 8:34 remaining in the game, the Sun Devils were on a three-minute scoring drought in which they missed five shots in a row, and nine of their last 11. Despite their shooting struggles, they held a one-point lead.
With three minutes remaining, ASU inbounded to Justice who threw up a long two with the shot clock winding down and nailed it as it expired to put the Sun Devils up two. The officials went to the monitor to review a play twice with under four minutes left, which extended this game much longer than it should have been.
Holder knocked down a layup with 1:28 remaining, but the Huskies responded right back with an alley-oop from Andrews to Chriss to retake a two-point lead.
Down three with 16 seconds remaining, Justice knocked down a stepback three to lead to what eventually would be a miss by Andrews, and the game went to overtime.
Washington started overtime with a 6-0 run, and Andrews finally made his first shot of the game on a three-pointer with 2:48 left in overtime, then came back and made a mid-range jumper to put them up nine and out of reach for the Sun Devils.
Player of the Game: Dejounte Murray
Murray lived in the paint and had one of the best performances of the Pac-12 season. Andrews was the one who torched the Sun Devils in Tempe, but Murray was in the spotlight in Seattle. The freshman finished with 34 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists.
Biggest Concern: Free throw shooting
The Sun Devils made six of their eight attempts in the first half, but when the second half came around they only made two of their first six and were at one point made four of their first 10 after halftime. They ended the game shooting 20-for-30 from the line.
Unsung Hero: Willie Atwood
Atwood picked up multiple offensive rebounds within a short stretch in the second half when ASU was struggling to shoot the ball. While ASU may not have converted on each of the second chance points he created, his contributions helped retain the lead. He also silenced an 11-0 UW run with four straight points. His 14 points were a very quiet 14 points.
Stat of the Night: Andrew Andrews’ statline
The likely frontrunner for Pac-12 player of the year had his worst game of the season, tallying only 13 points compared to his season average of 21, on 2-of-13 shooting. He didn’t make a field goal until the 2:48 mark in overtime.
What’s Next?
The Sun Devils will play Washington State in Pullman on Saturday, February 6.
