Sun Devils fall apart late against Stanford in another second-half collapse

(Photo Credit: Evan Barcanic/WCSN)

Arizona State men’s basketball got a taste of its own medicine against Stanford.

In the last meeting, the Sun Devils (11-10, 5-5 Pac-12) trailed for 35 minutes against the Cardinal (11-9, 6-4 Pac-12) and still came out victorious in the Bay Area on Dec. 29. The tables turned on ASU as it led for the majority of the game, but a 17-2 run from Stanford in the final seven minutes resulted in another defeat. This time it’s a 71-62 loss that has junior guard Jamiya Neal believing in the Hindu principle of karma.

“I think what goes around comes around, I guess is what happened to us there,” Neal said. “We made a late surge (against Stanford last game). I guess it came back around to bite us this time. They made a late surge. And it was just like, we couldn’t make any shots, we couldn’t get any stops. You know, that killed us. That’s kind of what happened down there. So, I guess it’s just karma.”

Second half collapses are not uncommon for the Sun Devils though, as they squandered a halftime lead in six of their ten losses. This loss was a little different from the others because it all occurred in crunch time.

The Sun Devils played the game they wanted to yet still found a way to lose. Stanford entered the matchup ranked 10th in the nation in three-point percentage at a scorching 39.5%, but graduate guard Michael Jones was the only consistent shooter — knocking down five of his seven three-pointers — as the team shot 29.6% from behind the arc.

Even though Stanford struggled from three-point land, the other advantage it had over ASU was its size. The Cardinal had 12 more rebounds than the Sun Devils and had two players with double-digit boards, including junior forward Maxime Raynaud with 17. ASU has a four-guard starting lineup, and that height disparity played a factor in how it functioned defensively.

“They’re very tall,” Neal said. “Sometimes on those crackdowns and you cracking down on [6 foot 10 inches] and [7 foot players]. It’s kind of hard if they just took the ball over you where you have to double the post and they shoot really well. If you double, they kick out. It definitely was a tough matchup, but we have to use our speed and athleticism to kind of pressure them so they don’t see that so it kind of looks like it’s six defenders out there.”

The height and the threat of shooting from deep was difficult for ASU’s four-guard lineup to defend. The four starting guards all scored in double figures, but it was not enough as they ran out of gas, scoring a combined two points in the final seven minutes.

ASU utilized an eight-man rotation with three bigs coming off the bench. Forward Kamari Lands and center Shawn Phillips Jr. — both of whom are sophomores — each scored six points despite playing under 15 minutes. Head coach Bobby Hurley believes he needs to have more faith in his bench players to get the job done.

“There’s been a common theme with that and some of these games — late in the game — not happening enough to close it,” Hurley said. “You’ve got to come in wondering if you’re going to be able to make shots, but I think when physical exertion has impacted your defense late in the game where you can’t step up and stop your opponent. That’s why we’ve got to trust the bench a little more and try and find guys that can produce coming off the bench.”

Phillips Jr. left the game in the second half due to a laceration above his eye, but he is a player Hurley might consider deploying more often with a high-tempo lineup. The Sun Devils’ skipper utilized the 1-2-2 press early in the season when the LSU transfer was a starter, and that is not a coincidence by any means.

“I like to do it with [Phillips] on the back of the line, because if there is a situation where the press gets broken, you have a guy that could go up and block shots,” Hurley said. “Even if [graduate forward Alonzo Gaffney] and [junior guard] Frankie [Collins] aren’t in the game, I would still press if [Phillips} is in the game. That was really the ace that we had in our hand was trying to press them and force turnovers that was our only path tonight.”

ASU did force 14 turnovers, similar to what it averaged over the season, but Stanford still managed to break the press. The Cardinal had a lot going against them — including their freshman guard Kanaan Carlyle, the team’s leading scorer, only scoring three points in 16 minutes of action — but the Sun Devils still lost.

The Sun Devils have dropped five of its last six games and are at risk of a second consecutive sweep if they lose to California on Saturday. ASU has put itself in a position where it needs to win the Pac-12 Tournament if it wants to qualify for March Madness, but the Pac-12 is in a spot where anybody can take that automatic bid.

“Just keep looking forward,” Neal said. “The past is the past, learn from it and move on. We can’t dwell on it, go on it too much. As everybody knows, in the Pac-12 it’s a unique year as far as everybody being so close in the standings, to the point where if we make a late surge we could still end up at the top and I like our chances.”