Sun Devils close out game on a 12-1 run for comeback win over USC
Stop me if you’ve heard this before.
Down by double-digits with just over three minutes to go against a hot-shooting USC Trojans team, the Arizona State Sun Devils rallied quickly within the final minute to jump back into it. Only this time, they finished it off.
Tra Holder’s free throws with 6.9 seconds left capped off an 83-82 comeback win for the Sun Devils (14-16, 7-10 Pac-12) over the Trojan on Sunday in which ASU overcame a double-digit deficit in the final 2:32 of the game.
The Sun Devils capped off the game on a 12-1 run, the same push they had when the teams last met at the Galen Center in Los Angeles on Jan. 22. That night, Torian Graham’s corner 3-pointer failed to hit the rim at the buzzer as ASU fell, 82-79.
“I’m thrilled, except for maybe the weeks and days that have just been taken off my life due to having to go through that game and coach it,” ASU head coach Bobby Hurley said. “What a great feeling.”
The push began with 2:32 remaining and the Trojans leading 81-71. Hurley switched his defense to a press – the same defense that led the charge last time the teams saw each other.
After getting a stop, Obinna Oleka went to the line and made a pair of free throws. Shannon Evans followed up a Kodi Justice steal with a 3-pointer. Holder made a tough layup in traffic. A missed free throw led to a transition 3-pointer from Justice to cut the lead to one.
“We were waiting for the moment to use it,” Justice said of the press. “We kept making plays, and the lead dwindled fast.”
USC sophomore Bennie Boatright’s inbounds pass went straight to Graham, who to that point had struggled mightily by shooting just 2-for-12 from the field. He quickly fed the ball to Evans, who dished it to Holder. The junior point guard drove to the hole and got hacked, setting up a chance to knot the game and take the lead with 6.9 seconds remaining.
Just like he did in ASU’s 78-77 win over Colorado on Jan. 5, Holder stepped up to the line in the closing seconds. Both shots were pure, giving the Sun Devils the lead.
“(Tra) was ice cold about it,” Hurley said. “I have complete confidence that he was going to step up there, and he had this look in his eye. He made the first one, and had that resilience and toughness that I knew he was going to make the second one.”
Boatright’s shot at the buzzer clanged off the back iron, cementing the comeback victory in what would have been a tale of an icy second have for the Sun Devils.
ASU, who hit 10 of its 16 3-point attempts in the first half while shooting 50 percent overall from the field, quickly saw its offense go into a place that has often haunted the Sun Devils this season.
They shot 39.4 percent from the floor in the second half, including a stretch of almost five minutes without a made field goal that saw USC go on a 12-1 run to bring the lead to double digits for the first time.
It was the play of Justice that carried the Sun Devils throughout the game. He played tough defense on Boatwright despite a five-inch height disadvantage, was active in the passing lanes, dished no-look passes and lobs.
“He did everything for us,” Hurley said.
That’s not even including his shooting performance. Justice notched a new career-high with 22 points on 8-for-14 shooting, including a 6-for-9 performance behind the arc.
All while dealing with four stitches in his left eye after taking a stray elbow to the face in the early part of Saturday’s practice. Even then, he was in his range on Sunday.
“If I feel like I’m open inside half court, I think I can make it,” Justice said.
Despite their second-half struggles, the Sun Devils still finished 13-for-28 from behind the arc. That puts ASU at 300 total treys for the year, setting a new school record to exceed the previous high of 288 set during the 2008-09 season.
ASU allowed the Trojans to shoot for a high percentage but were active defensively to force 12 turnovers, which led to 27 Sun Devil points. For the first time since Jan. 25 against Washington, they rebounded their opponent. They even got production from the bench, with Andre Adams filling in well for the suspended Jethro Tshisumpa with five points and five rebounds. Ramon Vila added six points.
Just like what happened at the Galen Center, the Sun Devils did just enough to have a chance at a victory against the Trojans. This time, they closed out the comeback to seal a win and provide a charge of momentum for the team’s regular-season finale against Arizona and, eventually, the Pac-12 Tournament.
“Our coach builds that into us every day,” Justice said. “We’re never out, we keep fighting, never give up. There’s a way to lose the right way and there’s a way to lose the wrong way. If you’re battling, you always have a shot.”
