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ASU men's basketball holds on to upset No. 18 Texas A&M

The Sun Devils led by as many as 25 in their big win

Arizona State Sun Devils forward Willie Atwood (2) shoots from outside the arc during a game against Texas A&M at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe, Ariz., on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015. The ASU Sun Devils took down the Texas A&M Aggies 67-54.
Arizona State Sun Devils forward Willie Atwood (2) shoots from outside the arc during a game against Texas A&M at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe, Ariz., on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015. The ASU Sun Devils took down the Texas A&M Aggies 67-54.

At the beginning of the season, the ASU men's basketball team's out-of-conference schedule was looked at as one of the toughest in the conference. If the team could get through the slate packed with ranked foes and traditional powers, they would prove they were for real.

The Sun Devils (6-2) appeared to do just that, taking down formerly undefeated No. 18 Texas A&M 67-52 Saturday at Wells Fargo Arena. It was the first win against a ranked team that is not Arizona since defeating No. 25 Marquette on Nov. 25, 2013.

"Certainly it's a win that kind of sends a message," coach Bobby Hurley said after the game. "We're getting close with what we're trying to do."

After a back-and-forth first six minutes of the game, ASU was the first to take control, jumping out to a lead on a 12-0 run, spurred on by the continued good play of junior forward Savon Goodman, who had four points and three rebounds in the three-minute stretch.

The Sun Devil lead continued to bubble as they shot well from beyond the arc in the first half, and sophomore guard Kodi Justice was able to cap the first half with two big triples. After the second one, Justice waved his arms in the air to pump up the crowd, causing one of the biggest cheers of the night.

"If we can do something on the court to get (the crowd) going, that's what we do," Justice said. "That's one reason why you'll see me pose here, scream, throw my hands up, because if you can get them on your side, it's hard to run an offense."

The Aggie offense was having enough issues running as it was, shooting just 22 percent from the field in the first half and missing on their final eight attempts in the stanza.

"When you need to beat a team like Texas A&M with the talent they have, your defense has to be ready," Hurley said. "And I thought it was tonight and we did a good job of holding them."

The Sun Devil offense continued to pile on in the second half, extending their lead to 25 points five minutes into the second half, sending the crowd and team into a frenzy, much to the delight of senior forward Willie Atwood, who led ASU with 15 points.

"I like playing here, I love this," Atwood said. "It was loud today."

While a win seemed like a foregone conclusion early in the second half, the Aggies never went away, cutting the lead to eight with under three minutes remaining. As he's done all year, though, sophomore guard Tra Holder came to the rescue, hitting a floater in the lane to give ASU the lift it needed to close the game out.

"It's been the calling card of what he's been doing down the stretch in games, closing out games," Hurley said. "He's a playmaker and he's playing fearlessly and again he came through with some big shots."


Reach the reporter at mtonis@asu.edu or follow @Tonis_The_Tiger on Twitter.

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