Late block seals ASU comeback victory against Stanford to open Pac-12 conference play

(Photo Credit: Spencer Barnes/WCSN)

For a second, the last second, Stanford men’s basketball graduate guard Michael Jones saw daylight. He likely — if only for a moment — dreamed of sinking the game-tying triple which would have forced overtime on his home floor. A second later, players rushed the court in pure elation. However, they weren’t wearing white Stanford uniforms.

The outstretched hand of Arizona State’s (7-5, 1-0 Pac-12) junior guard Jamiya Neal seized Jones and the Cardinal (5-6, 0-1 Pac-12) fell back into reality as he sent the jumper packing, sealing a 76-73 Sun Devil victory.

Neal, more commonly known as a talented isolation scorer, showed that his impact on the floor goes beyond how many points he can manage. Head Coach Bobby Hurley said he believes the guard possesses the physical tools to be a vital game changer not just on offense, but on defense as well.

“He had [six] rebounds, those are key for us,” Hurley said. “I always feel like he has the potential to be one of the better defenders with his athleticism and length.”

It took a sizable comeback and a valiant effort on all fronts for ASU to claw away a victory in Palo Alto on Friday night. The Sun Devils trailed 59-69 with just over five minutes remaining in the game, and the possibility of a Pac-12 opening night victory was growing slimmer by the second for Hurley’s group. They then proceeded to hit seven of their next eight shots and unleash a 17-4 run on the Cardinal to secure the close win. Hurley believes the Maples Pavillion carries a sort of mysticism that seems to always induce heart-stopping finishes for his teams over the years.

“I feel like this is how the game always ends here whether it’s in my favor or not,” Hurley said. “Since I’ve been coaching in this league it seems like this is the one place where we play very close tight games, for whatever reason.”

One of the most crucial contributors to the Sun Devils’ comeback effort was graduate big man Alonzo Gaffney. With three minutes remaining in the game, the Cleveland, Ohio native launched a minute-and-a-half solo 7-5 run in which he scored seven consecutive clutch points for ASU.

His last bucket — an emphatic dunk off a masterful no-look dish from redshirt junior guard Adam Miller — tied the game at 73 a piece with a minute-and-a-half to go in regulation. Despite missing his first two shots early in the game Hurley’s faith never wavered in Gaffney, who finished with 12 points overall, or any of his players for that matter.

“I know he has it inside of him to do it (get clutch baskets),” Hurley said. “[Gaffney] missed a couple [in the first half] but we trust him if he’s open I want him to take those shots. That goes for most of our team.”

ASU fans will be happy to have seen the return of 7-foot sophomore center Shawn Phillips Jr on Friday, as it was Phillips’ first run of action in eight games since suffering a foot injury against UMass Lowell on Nov. 16. The former LSU transfer finished perfect from the floor, amassing six points on 3-for-3 shooting, two blocks, and one rebound in a limited 11 minutes of game time due to injury minutes restriction. Outside of the numbers, it was the intangibles in Phillips’ performance that his coach was enamored with.

“I love Shawn Phillips,” Hurley said. “Just what he brought in his minutes, on a minutes restriction tonight. Just giving us some presence around the basket.”

Phillips’ return added yet another wrinkle to a lineup and a team that Hurley, now 12 games into the year, is still trying to iron out. Despite being on the heels of a three-game losing streak, the picture is finally starting to crystalize in the eyes of the man orchestrating it all.

“We’re still a work in progress,” Hurley said. “Today was a really good step. We ran offense with a purpose tonight and we moved well. Defensively we were very active. We’re putting together two really good ends of the floor for the first time in a while, coming off a three-game losing streak. I have more hope after seeing the way the guys competed and fought.”

ASU has now officially kicked off their endmost Pac-12 campaign with a victory. Wiping the slate clean following the aforementioned losing streak was a point Hurley said he stressed to his team. The past is over and now the head coach and ASU’s goal is to leave their lasting mark on the dying Pac-12 conference.

“After Christmas, I was like it’s 0-0-0,” Hurley said. “Let’s see what we can get done in the conference. It’s the last go-around for the Pac-12 so we want to do the best job we can.”