(Photo: Scotty Bara/WCSN)
To say the tension and intensity in Wells Fargo Arena was palpable would be an understatement as No. 8 Arizona defeated Arizona State in a scrappy contest, 94-82.
From the opening play, it was clear Arizona understood it had a clear cut size advantage as ASU freshman guard Tra Holder drove the lane and was rejected by Arizona sophomore center Dustan Ristic.
ASU received a nice spark off the bench from junior forward Obinna Oleka, who racked up eight points on 3-of-3 shooting (2-of-2 from three) and two emphatic blocks. However, the 6-foot-7 Oleka struggled guarding the 7-foot Ristic. Ristic Was a perfect 4-for-4 in the first half and had little issue getting to his spot on the block.
As a team, the Wildcats dominated inside and tallied 28 of its 41 first-half points inside the paint. ASU countered with strong shooting from deep, starting 3-for-4 from beyond the arc, but they finished the half 5-for-14 from three-point land.
After ASU jumped out to an early 28-19 lead, Arizona ramped up its defensive effort and held ASU scoreless for over five minutes in the midst of a 22-4 lead to take over toward the final portion of the first half. Arizona freshman guard Allonzo Trier lead the way with 10 points.
Both teams traded buckets and scoring droughts in the second half, and the intensity increased as well. Arizona senior center Kaleb Tarczewski was called for an off-the-ball foul and followed that with a technical foul. It was Tarczewski’s first game back since going down with a foot injury in late November.
ASU also saw the return of junior forward Savon Goodman, who missed the previous four games for unspecified reasons. He was a welcome sight to the Sun Devil rotation but wasn’t his productive self putting up just two points and four rebounds.
The Wildcats began to pull away after senior guard Gabe York drained a pair of back-to-back threes on an 8-0 Arizona run to extend its lead to 13 points with eight minutes remaining.
The Sun Devils ran a full-court trap toward the end of the game and cut the lead to six points with one minute remaining, but the Wildcats handled the pressure and pulled away for the win. ASU head coach Bobby Hurley received two technical fouls within the last two minutes of the game and was ejected in his first ever Pac-12 basketball game.
Tra Holder racked up 24 points, a new career-high.
Player of the game: Obinna Oleka
Oleka was at time the best player on the floor for ASU, finishing with 17 points on 6-for-7 shooting. While his defense on the bigger Ristic wasn’t fantastic, his energy all over the floor was crucial. His monster dunk three minutes left pulled ASU within seven points and helped spark the Sun Devils’ push toward the end of the game.
Biggest concern: Interior defense
The Sun Devils could not do anything to combat Arizona’s size. Ristic in particular did whatever he wanted on the block en route to 10 points on 5-for-6 shooting. The Wildcats notched 42 points in the paint and clearly outsized the scrappy but smaller Sun Devils.
Stat of the night: +8 Arizona rebounding advantage
In the theme of Arizona being and playing bigger than the Sun Devils, the Wildcats relatively dominated the glass, a domain ASU has normally had the advantage. As expected, redshirt senior forward Ryan Anderson controlled the boards with 10 rebounds. As a team, the Wildcats held a 26-20 advantage on the defensive glass.
Unsung hero: Willie Atwood
In a game that ASU went through several anemic stretches on offense, senior forward Willie Atwood was the most reliable player for the Sun Devils. Atwood tallied 14 points on a 4-for-9 shooting, continuing his strong and much improved play during his second season in Tempe.
What’s next?
ASU travels to Los Angeles to take on a surprisingly strong USC squad on January 7.
