The ASU men’s basketball team has been in a downward spin since the start of 2016. It hadn't pieced together consecutive wins since since the calendar shifted and, on Friday night, was going up against a ranked team they had already lost to this year.
History would not repeat itself.
The Sun Devils (14-11, 4-8 Pac-12) sent No. 23 USC packing with a 74-67 win at Wells Fargo Arena. The win marks the second in a row for ASU, the first time that happened since the team won four straight to end 2015.
Senior guard Gerry Blakes said his team was well aware of its situation in the Pac-12 coming into the game and was focused on starting to change that.
“Our backs are against the wall, man,” Blakes said. “We’re in dire need. We knew how big this week is and how good of a team USC was, so we knew we had to give them our all.”
In the first half, it didn’t appear as though Blakes and company followed their own advice, at least offensively. The Sun Devils took wild and erratic shots, many from 3-point range, to fall behind the eight-ball.
ASU missed its first five 3-pointers of the game, finishing the first half just 4-15. It didn’t get much better on other spots on the floor, either, shooting 33 percent from the field and 14 percent from free throw line.
Head coach Bobby Hurley said the shot selection was “sketchy,” but if his guys are open, they’re instructed to shoot.
“I thought some of them were open and if they are open, then you have to take them,” Hurley said. “We’re capable of making them.”
ASU’s defense kept the game close, forcing 11 first half turnovers by the Trojans and giving ASU extra opportunities to score and run time off the clock.
Despite low percentages, ASU trailed by just three at half, inspiring optimism in the locker room from Hurley and the players.
“Coach was saying that we didn’t really shoot the ball well and our offense wasn’t too well,” Blakes said. “But we were right there, so that gave us confidence to go out and make more plays on the offensive end and stick to our defense.”
The Sun Devil shooting struggles did not stop there, with players bombing long-distance shots from anywhere and everywhere on the court.
Then, something switched for ASU, and the selection and quality of shots went up. More baskets went in as the game wore on.
The Sun Devil lead ballooned near double-digits thanks to a big second half by sophomore guard Tra Holder, with Blakes and junior forward Savon Goodman providing resistance on the other end of the floor.
USC was able to close the gap late and sent a “here we go again” vibe through Wells Fargo Arena. The Sun Devils have fallen in similar situations all year, but this time ASU would not fold late.
With the shot clock running down and ASU up by six, Holder broke right off a screen by senior forward Eric Jacobsen and launched a 3 that banked off the backboard and in to put his squad up nine and clinch the game.
After all the heartbreak of this season and the lackluster record, Hurley is unapologetic about his team’s good fortune and hopes it can carry through the weekend and the rest of the Pac-12 season.
“I’m glad that he banked it,” Hurley said. “I don’t feel guilty or bad that he banked it in. We deserve it.”
Reach the reporter at mtonis@asu.edu or follow @Tonis_The_Tiger on Twitter.
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