In a nail-biter to the end, Stanford men’s basketball (11-6, 4-3 Pac-12) pulled out a win against the Arizona State Sun Devils (6-10, 2-4 Pac-12), 79-76. Sophomores forward Brandon Angel and guard Michael O’Connell led the way for the Cardinal, both putting up 16 points in the game. Sophomore guard DJ Horne led ASU in scoring with 18 points.
The Cardinal got off to a quick start behind some hot shooting from the three-point line. The Cardinal managed to hit 70% of their threes in the first half and led 42-32 at halftime. Stanford also out-rebounded the Sun Devils 23-15 at the half, and had racked up nine assists by the break. Freshman forward Harrison Ingram played well in the first half, putting up 10 points and five rebounds. The Sun Devils’ Horne also got off to a nice start, putting up 13 points in the first half, keeping ASU in the game.
In the second half, the Sun Devils pulled closer, as senior guard Marreon Jackson and junior forward Jalen Graham eased the scoring load on Horne, putting up 12 and 16 points, respectively, in the game. In addition, Stanford’s hot shooting from deep cooled off in the second half as they made only two out of their nine attempts. The Sun Devils’ defense also began pressuring the ball, which led to multiple Cardinal turnovers.
What helped keep Stanford in the game was its astounding 41 attempts at the free-throw line, compared to the Sun Devils’ nine. The last eight minutes of the game became a back-and-forth contest as both teams had players making key plays to keep their teams in the game.
The end of the game had no shortage of controversy. After Arizona State’s Graham hit a shot in the paint to tie the game up at 76 apiece, he subsequently fouled Stanford’s Brandon Angel on a three-point attempt with only 1.1 seconds remaining in the game. Angel — a 70% free throw shooter — hit all three free throws, extended the lead to 79-76 and sealed the game in Stanford’s favor.
Looking forward, Stanford will next head south to L.A. to see if they can sweep the season series with the USC Trojans (16-2, 6-2 Pac-12). Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m P.T on Thursday at the Galen Center.