(Photo: Paige Cook/WCSN)
Arizona State Men’s Basketball’s (14-17, 10-11) three-game series against the Stanford Cardinal ended just like it started, on the receiving end of a buzzer-beating shot.
Entering the Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas, ASUs hopes were high. They had just won seven of their last eight games and looked like they were peaking at the right moment.
But a fading jump shot from junior forward James Keefe as time expired snapped ASU back to reality. The Cardinal lives to see another day, defeating the Sun Devils 71-70.
Arizona State held control for nearly the entire game. Keefe scored Stanford’s first basket to give them a 2-0 lead, but sophomore guard DJ Horne made a three to give the lead right back to ASU.
A second chance layup by junior forward Spencer Jones yielded the Cardinal a 4-3 lead, which was their final lead until Keefe’s last-second shot.
The Sun Devils kept the game within one possession until redshirt junior guard Luther Muhammad buried a three, which sparked a 7-0 scoring run. The three-ball quickly became ASUs go-to weapon, as it would go 7-for-15 from behind the arch in the first half.
Leading the way for the Sun Devils was graduate guard Marreon Jackson, who had 11 first-half points on 3-for-4 shooting from three. Jackson scored most of his first-half baskets in transition or off a Cardinal turnover.
Heading into halftime, both teams struggled to score. The final basket of the first half was a three-pointer by Jackson at the 2:10 mark, allowing ASU to head to the locker room with a four-point lead.
The three-ball has been a key element of the Sun Devils’ repertoire, but today it was used more often than not. Head coach Bobby Hurley’s squad made 15 threes in the game, which tied a Pac-12 Tournament record.
Arizona State was efficient from distance, making 53.6% of its shots from deep.The efficiency gifted them multiple scoring runs and a 17-point lead with 13:35 remaining in the game.
A principal reason for the increase of threes was ASU’s struggles to score in the paint. Junior forward Jalen Graham, arguably the Sun Devils’ best post scorer, struggled to get going, shooting just 2-for-10 from the field.
His hook shot, which has become a staple of the Sun Devils’ playstyle, seemed to hit every part of the basket except the bottom of the net. Adding insult to injury, Graham picked up his fourth foul at the 9:17 mark, forcing Hurley to take him out.
After the substitution, Keefe capped a 7-0 Cardinal run. The run cut the deficit to 10 points, but a three by Horne would put the Sun Devils up by 13.
With 8:39 remaining in the game and a 13-point lead, it looked like Arizona State was in the driver’s seat, however, this was just the start of the collapse. Sophomore forward Brandon Angel made a three-pointer and on his next possession would make three free throws.
All by himself, Angel had sparked a 6-0 scoring run.
The Sun Devils answered back with a layup and would just keep the lead out of Stanford’s reach. Each side would trade baskets, which would result in a stalemate-like sequence.
With 3:26 to play, Horne made a jump shot that put ASU up by 12. A missed three-pointer by sophomore guard Michael O’Connell put Arizona State on the fast break, and Jackson led the way with graduate forward Kimani Lawrence for an and-one dunk.
Although Lawrence failed to convert the and-one opportunity, ASU found itself up by 14 with three minutes to play and with all the momentum.
On the next possession, Keefe would make a jumper that would cut the deficit to 12 points. The jumper also sparked a run that would carry Stanford to victory.
Keefe, Angel and Jones would lead the Cardinal on an 11-0 scoring run to bring the game within three points with 57 seconds to go. With the bonus in effect, redshirt junior guard Sam Beskind committed a foul, sending Jackson to the line.
Jackson split at the line, which kept Stanford alive. Keefe grabbed the rebound and found Jones on the wing.
Jones was hot throughout the second half, and the made three capped off a career-high 26-point performance and cut Arizona State’s advantage to one.
The ball found its way to Graham, who missed a hook shot. Freshman forward Harrison Ingram grabbed the rebound with eight seconds on the clock.
Stanford had no timeouts, forcing them to go the distance of the floor. Ingram went the distance but lost the ball in the paint before Keefe was able to grab the loose ball and throw up the game-winning shot.
The ball hit off the backboard and then the front iron before finding the bottom of the basket. The shot rounded off a 16-1 scoring run to end the game.
The loss is a bitter way to end the season, especially considering Arizona State’s lead. The Sun Devils’ offensive ability was in question all season and ultimately cost them the game and their season.
