01-12-2018, 08:37 AM
TEMPE, Ariz. â Senior Kodi Justice scored a game-high 21 points but No. 11 Arizona State dropped its first home game of the season Thursday, coming up just short in a 76-72 defeat against Oregon.
The Sun Devils (13-3, 1-3 Pac-12) had entered the night with an 8-0 record this season at Wells Fargo Arena.
"That wasn't the result we were hoping for," said head coach Bobby Hurley. "They did a nice job of controlling tempo and making it a real possession game. We never really got into a great rhythm on offense because of it."
Both teams did start the game hot offensively as the lead exchanged hands four times in the contest's opening ten minutes.
Arizona State was the first to make a run, rallying a crowd of nearly 14,000 with an 11-0 run. The spurt turned a 20-18 lead into a 31-18 advantage, which would match the Sun Devils largest of the night.
However, the visitors from Eugene ultimately rallied late in the opening stanza, riding a wave of hot shooting to a 41-41 tie at the halftime break. The 20 minutes was an exercise in efficiency as Hurley's team scored those 41 points on just 10 made field goals.
"Teams are slowing us down and not letting us play our game anymore," said Justice afterwards. "But we attacked, got to the foul line, got good shots and made them."
The second half began much like the first with each team exchanging blows.
A Romello White free throw gave the home team its largest lead of the half at 55-51 with 12:37 remaining, and it was White who converted a three-point play off a nifty bounce pass from Shannon Evans II to even the score at 58-58 a few minutes later.
White finished his first Pac-12 home game with eight points and six rebounds, making all but one of his field goal attempts.
Arizona State remained within striking distance from that point on, and despite trailing by as many as eight points down the stretch, the team managed to pull within 74-72 after Evans buried a contested triple.
The Ducks (12-5, 2-2) would eventually salt the game away at the free throw line, however, sealing the deal on the 76-72 win.
"I thought they ground us up on defense," said Justice afterwards. "We were playing good defense for 25 seconds and then struggled to get rebounds, so that was hard on us."
Justice (21), Evans (19) and Tra Holder (14) all finished the night scoring in double figures, while White and Mickey Mitchell led the team on the boards with six rebounds a piece.
Holder's 14 points moved him to No. 8 on the program's all-time scoring list, brining his career total to 1,550. He passed Steve Beck (1984-87) and Seabern Hill (1967-70) in the process and is now one spot behind Sun Devil legend Byron Scott.
Despite the loss, Arizona State dominated Oregon in three-point percentage, making 43 percent of their looks from downtown compared to the Ducks' 25. Both teams finished the night shooting 43 percent in total from the field.
http://www.thesundevils.com/news/2018/1/...76-72.aspx
The Sun Devils (13-3, 1-3 Pac-12) had entered the night with an 8-0 record this season at Wells Fargo Arena.
"That wasn't the result we were hoping for," said head coach Bobby Hurley. "They did a nice job of controlling tempo and making it a real possession game. We never really got into a great rhythm on offense because of it."
Both teams did start the game hot offensively as the lead exchanged hands four times in the contest's opening ten minutes.
Arizona State was the first to make a run, rallying a crowd of nearly 14,000 with an 11-0 run. The spurt turned a 20-18 lead into a 31-18 advantage, which would match the Sun Devils largest of the night.
However, the visitors from Eugene ultimately rallied late in the opening stanza, riding a wave of hot shooting to a 41-41 tie at the halftime break. The 20 minutes was an exercise in efficiency as Hurley's team scored those 41 points on just 10 made field goals.
"Teams are slowing us down and not letting us play our game anymore," said Justice afterwards. "But we attacked, got to the foul line, got good shots and made them."
The second half began much like the first with each team exchanging blows.
A Romello White free throw gave the home team its largest lead of the half at 55-51 with 12:37 remaining, and it was White who converted a three-point play off a nifty bounce pass from Shannon Evans II to even the score at 58-58 a few minutes later.
White finished his first Pac-12 home game with eight points and six rebounds, making all but one of his field goal attempts.
Arizona State remained within striking distance from that point on, and despite trailing by as many as eight points down the stretch, the team managed to pull within 74-72 after Evans buried a contested triple.
The Ducks (12-5, 2-2) would eventually salt the game away at the free throw line, however, sealing the deal on the 76-72 win.
"I thought they ground us up on defense," said Justice afterwards. "We were playing good defense for 25 seconds and then struggled to get rebounds, so that was hard on us."
Justice (21), Evans (19) and Tra Holder (14) all finished the night scoring in double figures, while White and Mickey Mitchell led the team on the boards with six rebounds a piece.
Holder's 14 points moved him to No. 8 on the program's all-time scoring list, brining his career total to 1,550. He passed Steve Beck (1984-87) and Seabern Hill (1967-70) in the process and is now one spot behind Sun Devil legend Byron Scott.
Despite the loss, Arizona State dominated Oregon in three-point percentage, making 43 percent of their looks from downtown compared to the Ducks' 25. Both teams finished the night shooting 43 percent in total from the field.
http://www.thesundevils.com/news/2018/1/...76-72.aspx