ASU men's basketball (10-5, 0-2 Pac-12) traveled to USC (13-3, 2-1 Pac-12) in full strength, but was unable to record its first conference win in a 75-65 loss.
The Sun Devils almost did. They trailed by 16 with less than eight minutes remaining in the game before launching a comeback effort behind senior forward Willie Atwood and sophomore guard Tra Holder.
Atwood scored seven points in a 9-4 ASU run, then assisted Holder on a three-pointer to cut the deficit to 10.
Holder scored 11 points in fewer than three minutes to cut USC's lead to two with 1:49 left. ASU couldn't get another basket until the closing seconds, and the Trojans got a few at the hoop to put the game away.
Holder finished with a game-high 21 points to go with four rebounds and three assists. It was his third straight 20-point outing.
USC junior guard Julian Jacobs paved the way with 15 points to his name on 66 percent shooting from the field, six of those points coming from the free throw line.
He was not to be outdone. Freshman forward Bennie Boatwright scored 14 of his team’s points while cleaning the glass and grabbing seven rebounds for his team.
The Trojans out played the Sun Devils in three key areas of the game.
The first of which is something the Sun Devils strive to do against all opponents: rebounding. It's is something that determines the success of the team.
ASU was out rebounded 42-34. Even with the addition of the six-foot seven inch junior forward Obinna Oleka in the starting lineup in place of six-foot three-inch junior guard Andre Spight, the Sun Devils were still out rebounded early and often.
The second area that lacked luster was the assist total. With just eight assists in the game, the Sun Devils tied a season low for assists in a single game. Quite frankly, better passing, at least in this game, equaled better quality of shot.
In contrast, the Trojans accumulated 17 assists in the game and in turn were able to shoot a higher percentage from the field.
The shooting stroke was simply not there for the Sun Devils, who shot an abysmal 38.2 percent from the field, 28 percent from three point range and 40 percent from the free throw line. Statistically speaking, this is one of the worst shooting nights for ASU all season.
USC took advantage of ASU's shooting by responding efficiently with their own shot. The Trojans shot 49 percent from the field (27-55) and 43.8 percent from behind the arc. Additionally, they went 70 percent (14-20) from the free throw line.
Coming off a tension-filled loss against Arizona on Sunday afternoon and a thwarted comeback effort in Southern California, ASU will look to turn things around as it continues conference play on Saturday against UCLA.
Reach the reporter at braxtonfoxii@gmail.com or follow @braxton_fox_II on Twitter.
Like State Press Sports on Facebook and follow @statepresssport on Twitter.