(Photo: Brady Klain/WCSN)
ASU has stumbled through Pac-12 play thus far despite a 12-0 start to the season.
Wednesday night’s matchup at Stanford was no step in the right direction, as the No. 16 Sun Devils fell to the Cardinal 86-77.
It was a game full of odd rim rolls and funny bounces, and the home team ultimately prevailed with a dominant second-half performance led by its big men.
“Their inside game was outstanding,” coach Bobby Hurley said. “We just got to get more guys playing well, I think we’ve regressed some in league play and again we’re still searching.”
Junior seven-foot center Josh Sharma led the way with 12 points and four rebounds in the second half, including back to back dunks that put the Cardinal up 60-45 with 11:45 to play.
The Sun Devils would come back from that deficit, going on a 13-2 run to trail 70-68 at the 4:00 mark.
The Cardinal would regain their lead for good though thanks to missed threes by Shannon Evans II and Tra Holder coupled with key free throws by freshman forward Oscar da Silva and freshman guard Daejon Davis down the stretch.
“We put a lot of energy into trying to get back into it,” Hurley said, “but I think we started playing at that level too little too late and sometimes all the energy you invest to get back in you can’t get over the top.”
It’s not often one can say this without exaggeration, but Sharma and da Silva could not miss. The two combined to shoot 11-11 from the field, scoring 14 points each and blocking three shots total.
Junior forward Reid Travis was instrumental in spreading the floor, making 3 of 6 from beyond the arc and getting a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
The Sun Devils gave themselves a chance to win in the final 20 minutes, as they only trailed by two at halftime. They ended up playing catch-up for the majority of the second half though, and it wasn’t just a result of being dominated down low.
The team’s top two scorers, senior guards Tra Holder and Shannon Evans II, respectively, combined to shoot 8-26 from the field and 3-13 from three. They scored 22 points combined, adding five assists and nine fouls between the two.
“It’s a long year and you’re going to go through some periods like this,” Hurley said. “I know that Tra will bounce back and find his rhythm again.”
The Sun Devils weren’t completely helpless down low, as freshman forward Romello White led ASU with 19 points on 11-14 free throw shooting. Freshman guard Remy Martin also added 11 points and a team high 5 assists off the bench.
In a game where ASU’s starting backcourt didn’t play well enough to win, it was only fitting Stanford’s leading scorer was a guard- from Phoenix nonetheless.
Senior Dorian Pickens was a problem from the start, scoring 10 of the Cardinal’s first 17 points and finishing with a team high 19.
In the end though, ASU was once again simply outmatched down low. Stanford won the battle for points in the paint 46-30 and outrebounded the Sun Devils 44-30.
“I just want to make sure we stay together as a team,” senior guard Kodi Justice said. “Teams go through stretches like this regardless of how talented or how good you are- it’s just basketball.”
ASU returns to action Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. when it visits Cal. The game can be seen on Pac-12 Networks.
