Freshman guard Tra Holder passes the ball to a fellow teammate on Jan. 30, 2015. The Sun Devils played lost Oregon in overtime at the Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe. (Emily Johnson/ The State Press)Even with the electrifying second half and overtime performances by freshman guard Tra Holder and senior forward Shaquielle McKissic, ASU fell to Oregon 68-67.
“We wanted to win,” McKissic said. “That was our game to win. We just had to play all forty minutes.”
ASU was fueled by late performances by Holder and McKissic, as the Sun Devils had the 942 Crew and the rest of Wells Fargo Arena in a frenzy for the majority of the game.
“It’s great when the crowd get into it,” said Herb Sendek. “It really helps. (McKissic) played an outstanding game, and I thought Tra Holder was terrific and keeps getting better and better.”
McKissic and Holder had typical first half performances, scoring eight and six points respectively. McKissic scored six of his eight from beyond the arc. The second half is where things got interesting. McKissic went on his own run with around 10 minutes remaining, electrifying the crowd.
McKissic scored 14 of his points in the second half, and Holder contributed eight.
With the Sun Devils trailing by three with 0.9 seconds remaining in regulation, McKissic hit a near-impossible game tying shot from deep to send the fans into a frantic state and the game into overtime.
“As far as that shot, I counted that good from the moment I grabbed it and started going left,” McKissic said. “I could see that they were switching and they guy kind of got to me late so I knew I had enough time to elevate and really concentrate and knock it down.”
Holder and McKissic were just two of three players who managed to score in overtime, both scoring two points apiece.
McKissic played through illness, finishing with 24 points.
“I woke up, and my stomach was hurting,” McKissic said. “I don't know how to describe it. It was just turning the whole game, but I guess it was for the better as far as offensively.”
Even fighting through the pain, McKissic’s performance wasn't enough to seal the win for the Sun Devils. McKissic shot 50 percent from the field, going 9-for-18. He also shot an exceedingly high 60 percent from deep, going 6-for-10 from beyond the arc.
Holder added his own impressive performance in the loss, scoring a total of 16 points on 6-for-11 shooting. Holder also shot a team high 75 percent from the free throw line, going 3-for-4.
Reach the reporter at mtsteine@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @MarcTSteiner
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