Stanford men’s basketball (12-13, 4-9) lost a lead to a second-half comeback from the Arizona State Sun Devils (12-14, 5-8 Pac-12), ultimately falling 75-69 at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe on Saturday evening.

Senior guard and Sun Devils leading scorer Torian Graham fueled Arizona State’s comeback with 16 second-half points, including two contested shots from beyond the arc in the last 1:16 that would ultimately propel the Sun Devils to victory. Graham had 24 points in the game and led Arizona State in rebounds as well, pulling down six.

The Cardinal were in control for the majority of the game, as they held the lead for 27:52 during the contest. This control could largely be attributed to a dominating effort on the boards. Stanford took full advantage of Arizona State’s lack of size and out-rebounded the Sun Devils 49-27, with 22 of the 49 coming on the offensive end for the Cardinal.

This rebounding effort was led by junior forwards Reid Travis and Michael Humphrey, who both recorded double-doubles. Humphrey had attained his double-double by halftime and finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds, while Travis scored 17 points and hauled in 11 boards.

Senior guard Marcus Allen also had a productive outing for the Cardinal, confidently driving to the basket on his way to a season-high 20 points.

A win was crucial for both schools; four teams, including Arizona State and Stanford, were tied for seventh in the Pac-12 going into the game. The win gives the Sun Devils an upper hand as the season winds down and schools battle for conference tournament seeding.

Arizona State came out hot, going 4-for-6 from behind the 3-point line to start the game to gain an early 19-11 advantage over Stanford.

But the Cardinal bounced back quickly, going on a 10-0 run to take a 21-19 lead. The two teams traded buckets and leads for the rest of the first half, with six lead changes occurring in the half.

Stanford then gradually widened its lead as the second half progressed and held a 9-point advantage with 9:19 remaining in the game.

But the Sun Devils found their shot again, as they heated up to knock down three shots from behind the arc during a 12-3 run that tied the game at 59.

The Cardinal then managed to create and hold a small lead. With less than two minutes remaining, the squad appeared to be in complete control as it had both momentum and a 67-63 edge.

But nobody told Torian Graham that, as he knocked down an impressive 3-point jumper to cut the deficit to just one, and with 21.1 seconds left, he came off of a screen to hit a three at the same spot with two defenders in his face to give a Arizona State a 71-69 lead.

The Cardinal quickly turned the ball over on the ensuing possession, ending the game. The Sun Devils would make four free throws to end the game and obtain their fifth conference win.

The Cardinal will look to get back on track against the California Golden Bears at Maples Pavilion on Friday at 7 p.m.

 

Contact Sam Curry at currys ‘at’ stanford.edu.