:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/49795241/usa-today-9042750.0.jpg)
Next week, House of Sparky will begin our "#SunDevilMoments" tournament, featuring the 16 best moments from the athletic season. This week we will introduce all 16 seeds, then reveal our match-ups where you, the reader, will vote on what was the ASU athletics Moment of the Year.
With just 19 seconds left and the Arizona State Sun Devils trailing by one in a pivotal non-conference battle against the Creighton Bluejays, point guard Tra Holder knew he might need to make a big play.
Savon Goodman - who entered the night ranked last in free throw percentage among Sun Devils - was at the line with a chance to tie the game, but making that free throw seemed far from a sure thing. So Holder prepared himself, maybe to grab a long miss or possibly poke the ball away from one of Creighton's bigs.
And when Isaiah Zierden pulled down the rebound, it was the latter that Holder pulled off with perfection. Sprinting in from beyond the three-point line, Holder stuck his hand out, stole the ball from Zierden, and got a layup up off the glass.
The shot didn't go through the basket because Bluejay center Geoffrey Groselle swatted it away while still falling towards the cylinder, but the officials quickly and correctly whistled Groselle for goaltending.
Holder's heady play gave Arizona State a 78-77 lead - an advantage the team would narrowly hang on to throughout an intense final 15 seconds.
The maroon and gold's season largely ended in disappointment due to their 5-13 record in Pac-12 play, but this victory seemed huge at the time. Not only did they post a win in their first road game of the season, but ASU was off to a 5-2 start with victories over Belmont, NC State, and of course, Creighton.
Excitement was high in Tempe for Bobby Hurley's first season in the desert, and save for an opening night setback against Sacramento State, fans couldn't have asked for a better start to the year.
---
We saw Holder's steal and score as the 13th best moment from the ASU athletic season, however, it will be up the readers to see how far it goes in our #SunDevilMoments bracket.