Vanderbilt Commodores vs Arizona State Sun Devils Match Player Stats On Dec 17, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Dec 17, 2017

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Arizona State guard Tra Holder scored 25 points, forward Romello White had 12 points and nine rebounds and the No. 5 Sun Devils moved to 10-0 for first time in school history with a 76-64 victory over the Vanderbilt Commodores at Wells Fargo Arena on Sunday.

Guard Shannon Evans had 15 points, reserve forward Mickey Mitchell had eight points and a career-high 13 rebounds and the Sun Devils overcame an 13-point deficit by holding Vanderbilt to 33.8 shooting from the floor.

Freshman guard Saben Lee had 24 points and forward Joe Toye had 14 for the Commodores (3-7), who have lost six of seven. Lee had five rebounds and six assists.

The Sun Devils, one of four undefeated NCAA Division I teams, trailed 19-8 after 12 minutes before going on an extended 44-15 run late in the first half and into the second to pull away.

Arizona State had three guards on the floor and sometimes four during its comeback.

The Sun Devils overcame a double-digit lead for the third time this season, most recently in a 95-85 victory over then-No. 2 Kansas last Sunday in which they trailed by 13 points in the first half. They vaulted from No. 16 to No. 5 in the Associated Press poll after that.

Arizona State trailed then-No.15 Xavier by 15 in the first half before rallying for a 102-86 victory in the championship game of the Las Vegas tournament in November.

The Sun Devils shot 43.9 percent from the field and had a 46-38 rebounding edge. The Sun Devils were fourth in NCAA Division I with a 91.8-point scoring average and sixth in field goal percentage at 52.0 entering the game.

Vanderbilt made 4-of-31 attempts from 3-point range. ASU was 5-of-23 from beyond the arc.

Evans' free throw gave ASU a 57-37 lead with 12:48 remaining, and Vanderbilt was never closer than 12.

Toye had eight points -- including two 3-pointers -- when the Commodores rolled to an 11-0 lead in the first five minutes. Arizona State missed its first seven shots and committed five turnovers before White scored on a layup to end the drought.

Evans II had five points during a 15-5 run, and his 3-pointer closed the gap to 24-21 with 3:45 left in the half.

Holder made a driving layup and a 3-pointer as the Sun Devils scored the final eight points of the half for a 30-29 lead, concluding a 22-10 run that picked up steam in the second half.

NOTES: Arizona State has not been ranker higher since 1980-81, when the Fat Lever/Byron Scott/Alton Lister team reached No. 3 in the AP poll and beat No.1-ranked and undefeated Oregon State that March. That team lost to Kansas in the NCAA tournament. ... The Sun Devils received five first-place votes in the most recent AP poll, one of three teams to receive votes. No. 1 Villanova (41) and No. 2 Michigan State (19) were the others. ... The teams had one common opponent, Kansas State. The Sun Devils beat Kansas State 92-90 in the first round of the Las Vegas tournament in late November. Kansas State beat the Commodores 84-79 in Nashville on Dec. 3.