Stanford Falls In OT Thriller To Sun Devils
March 13, 2013; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Stanford Cardinal guard Aaron Bright (2) is congratulated by forward Josh Huestis (24), guard Chasson Randle (5), and forward Dwight Powell (33) after making a three-point basket while being fouled by Arizona State Sun Devils forward Jonathan Gilling (31, hidden) during the second half in the first round of the Pac 12 tournament at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Arizona State defeated Stanford 89-88. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
The Stanford Cardinal fell to the Arizona State Sun Devils by the final of 89-88 in a heartbreaker in overtime. This means that the Cardinal’s hopes for making the NCAA tournament are definitely over now (they would have had to win the Pac-12 tournament anyway) and will once again most likely head to the NIT tournament.
This was definitely the most entertaining game Stanford had played this season and it seems they saved the best for last. Unfortunately they were unable to complete the win as the Sun Devils were too little, too much in overtime.
Although it was a high scoring game the Cardinal defense came to play today with the defense racking up eight total blocks.
Also a big factor in the game was the difference in free throws. Arizona State went 14-17 from the charity stripe while the Cardinal only went to the line ONCE all game. That is definitely not the easiest way to win a basketball game. However, other than these two differences, both teams matched each other stride for stride, thus why it took overtime to decide the game.
Top Performers
The Cardinal got many great performances in the game but the best goes to guard Aaron Bright who ended with a team high 27 points and added five assists. He was the man who ran the show today with Chasson Randle only scoring five points on 2 of 12 from the floor. Bright also made quite a few big plays for Stanford including his four-point play with 38 seconds left in the regulation that helped send the game into the extra overtime period.
The big men also came to play with Dwight Powell ending with 23 points, nine rebounds and four assists while Josh Huestis finished with 17 points and also brought down nine boards. Both were dominant down low on both offense and defense and finished with great games. Gage also finished with 13 points in the losing effort.
For the Sun Devils it was all about Jahii Carson who led his team with 34 points and four assists. Most important though were the five points he scored in overtime that helped keep Arizona State on top.
He was aided by a few guys as well with his biggest help coming from Carrick Felix who finished with a double-double racking up 19 points and 12 rebounds. Evan Gordon scored 16 points off the bench including going nine for eleven from the free throw line.
In all it was an incredible game, but one that could just as easily have gone Stanford’s way rather than Arizona State’s. While this knocks them out of the Pac-12 tournament they can leave from this game knowing they left everything out on the court today.