Freshman guard Tra Holder makes a layup against heavy defense on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2015, at Wells Fargo Arena. The Sun Devils defeated the Beavers 73-55. (Jennifer
Bauer-Leffler/The State Press)
After falling in Corvallis earlier in January, the ASU men's basketball team set out for a split of the season series. With stifling defense and good perimeter shooting, it did just that.
The Sun Devils (11-10, 3-5 Pac-12) defeated Oregon State 73-55 at Wells Fargo Arena. The win is the team's third in its last four games since dropping its first four Pac-12 games.
ASU came out firing on all cylinders, jetting out to an early 11-point lead on the strength of solid 3-point shooting by freshman guard Tra Holder, senior guard Bo Barnes and senior forward Jonathan Gilling.
Barnes said that the gameplan wasn't necessarily to shoot from the outside, but ASU took what the defense gave it.
"They were there," Barnes said. "We were still trying to be aggressive... I think it's just a mix of what they were giving us."
Coach Herb Sendek said that while shooting from outside is a good way to beat the zone, it all depends on whether the ball goes in or not.
"It's good to make outside shots against a zone, but we didn't necessarily want to live and die by that," Sendek said. "Like we've said all along, when that ball's going in, it makes a big difference."
Barnes made three of his five attempts from beyond the arc in the first half to bring ASU's lead to 17 at the break.
In the second half, senior forward Shaquielle McKissic stole the show, scoring nine of his 17 points in the period. He said that the early onslaught of long-distance shots allowed him the room to be more aggressive as the game went on.
"Jon and Bo give me a lot of layups," McKissic said. "That's the beauty when guys are knocking down shots... Guys have to stay home."
The Sun Devils have won three of four and are on a roll of late and Sendek said that the improvement has been evident for the duration of January.
"I can tell you, putting our team under a microscope, we've gotten better this month," Sendek said. "We're improving as a team."
ASU is the only team that has played the big three of Arizona, Stanford and Utah so far this year. McKissic said that after the stretch to start the year, ASU is definitely in a position to keep it going.
"If you look at the teams we played, it was a tough stretch," McKissic said. "Especially with all the newcomers that we have, but I mean that's up to me to get them centered and for me to just be aggressive."
Reach the reporter at mtonis@asu.edu or on Twitter @Tonis_The_Tiger.
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