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ASU men's basketball holds off Stanford

The Sun Devils got big contributions from their post players in a home win.

Junior Forward Savon Goodman makes the  shot amidst heavy Cardinal defense during the game against Stanford on  Thursday, March 3, 2016 at the Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe, AZ. (J.  Bauer-Leffler/The State Press)

Junior Forward Savon Goodman makes the shot amidst heavy Cardinal defense during the game against Stanford on Thursday, March 3, 2016 at the Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe, AZ. (J. Bauer-Leffler/The State Press)


With 13 minutes to close out a 21-point lead, the ASU men's basketball team looked like it was ready to coast to the finish line for its fifth conference win of the season. Then, the lead began to slowly but surely slide, giving fans flashbacks to last year's Pac-12 Tournament as the game waned.

The Sun Devils (15-15, 5-12 Pac-12) did not blink, however, holding on to defeat the Stanford Cardinal 74-64 Thursday night. ASU was led by junior forward Savon Goodman, who had 16 points and seven rebounds, senior forward Eric Jacobsen's 13 points and seven rebounds.

Scoring was at a premium for the first few minutes, as just three points – a 3-pointer by sophomore guard Kodi Justice – were scored in the first four and a half minutes.

Stanford got rolling first, taking an 11-6 lead over the next four minutes while ASU made just two of its first 12 field goal attempts and looked lost on that end of the floor.

The Sun Devils then hit their next six attempts from the floor, putting them up seven with all the momentum on the home bench.

Goodman said ASU was able to get going offensively because of its defensive pressure leading to extra possessions and that was on display in the first half.

"Usually, when we get collective defensive stops, we get to get out in transition," Goodman said. "We haven't really did that much this year, but today we got out in transition and shared the ball and got a couple fast break points."

ASU closed out the half outscoring the Cardinal 31-11 over the second 10 minutes of the first half, forcing six turnovers over the span.

"I thought our defensive effort was outstanding, especially in the first half," Hurley said. "To limit Stanford to 22 points was very good and it helped our chances."

The energy in Wells Fargo Arena built with each passing possession and it reached a fever pitch with 37 seconds left in the half when ASU stole the ball from Stanford freshman guard Michael Sheffield.

"It was all of my help and the pressure (senior guard) G(erry Blakes) applied on the baseline when he was chasing, but in practice we just went over coming out and making them go through our chest when they were coming off the double screen when they get in their offense. I just followed our gameplan and I was lucky enough to keep my hands up and get a deflection. The rest was history."

That rest was an alley-oop from senior guard Gerry Blakes to Goodman that sent the crowd of 5,157 into a frenzy and boosted ASU into the half with an extra jolt in its step.

As this season has played out, there haven't been many moments like that one at home this season. When asked if it was the most energy he's felt in the arena in a while, the coach answered flatly.

"Yes," Hurley said. "And from our team."

The Sun Devils came out of the half with the same abandon, continuing to score and keep Stanford at bay on defense, boosting the lead even further and looking as though a win was a forgone conclusion.

Then, the Cardinal began to show life, bombing 3s and forcing their way back into contention in the last few minutes thanks to senior forward Rosco Allen and Phoenix native, sophomore forward Michael Humphrey.

The Sun Devils, despite a less-than-stellar shooting performance in the second stanza, were helped by dominant rebounding, especially on the offensive end against Stanford's zone.

"It boils down to our energy and activity," Hurley said. "If you take good shots that your teammates expect you to take, when you miss, then you're in a good position to rebound."

ASU outdid the Cardinal on the glass all game, winning the rebounding advantage 38-27 and keeping Stanford from gaining extra possessions in a game that became more intense as the clock wound down.

As well as ASU shot at times, it was equally poor at others, as the Sun Devils ended the game just as they started: making two of 12 field goal attempts. Free throws and rebounding put the game away for the Sun Devils late, leading Jacobsen to echo the theme of the night one last time as he left the podium.

"It was all in the defense."


Reach the reporter at mtonis@asu.edu or follow @Tonis_The_Tiger on Twitter.

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