::View a slideshow of the game here::

Some kid threw up in the student section.

Yes, it was that bad.

Just a few minutes into the game, a cleanup crew had to be called on to mop up the mess. It may not have been caused by the effort of the ASU men’s basketball team, but it could have been.

Yes, it was that bad.

The No. 21 Sun Devils (21-8, 10-7 Pac-10) played arguably their worst game of the season Thursday, in a 74-64 home loss to Stanford.

Wells Fargo Arena, barring a few seconds here and there, was lulled to sleep by a contest that was flat throughout.

“I thought the whole building had a lack of energy, and it certainly was focused on us on the court,” ASU coach Herb Sendek said. “I don’t think that we played well in any category.”

In the first eight-plus minutes of the game, the Sun Devils scored exactly one point. By the time ASU sophomore guard James Harden finally converted ASU’s first field goal with 11:55 left in the half, Stanford only led 8-3.

As badly as the Sun Devils were playing, they were never out of the game until closing minutes. But they could never put together the game-changing run they were so desperately looking for.

ASU entered the locker room at the break trailing 32-26, despite some ugly first-half splits. The Sun Devils had just two assists on their seven field goals to go along with eight turnovers. Harden had 11 first-half points, but he was the only player to get anything going from the field.

ASU senior forward Jeff Pendergraph was getting constantly double-teamed, and the Stanford defense wouldn’t let him be the offensive force he was in their last meeting. He did knock down 7-of-8 first-half free throws, though.

“I could feel the guy breathing on my neck they were helping on defense so much,” Pendergraph said.

Stanford (17-11, 6-11) kicked off the second half with a demoralizing 8-0 run. A little clean up bucket here. A jumper there. A nice move in the lane and a sick alley oop.

It added up to a 40-26 Stanford lead, but did even more to hush the Sun Devil crowd for good.

ASU would cut the deficit to seven on four occasions but could never get closer than that.

When asked how he would describe his team’s effort, Pendergraph had an irritated response.

“How would you?” he said. “That’s a bad question. You all were watching, and I know it’s way worse watching than playing.”

It’s ironic to look how the season series played out between the two schools.

Everything went ASU’s way in the Jan. 2 tilt that ended in a 90-60 Sun Devil victory. Thursday, ASU could do nothing right.

Adding insult to injury, ASU sophomore guard Jamelle McMillan left the arena on crutches with a groin injury. McMillan got hit below the waist in the final minute and took himself out of the game.

Reach the reporter at alex.espinoza@asu.edu.