STANFORD, Calif. – Sophie Brunner’s fadeaway jumper at the buzzer propelled the ninth-ranked Arizona State women’s basketball team to a dramatic 63-61 overtime win over No. 13 Stanford on Sunday night.
With the win the Sun Devils (22-4, 13-1 Pac-12) remained tied with eighth-ranked Oregon State (22-3, 13-1) atop the Pac-12 standings with four games remaining in the regular season. ASU also tied the program record for road wins in a season (10) and became the first Pac-12 school to ever sweep the regular season home-and-home series against Stanford in consecutive seasons.
For the second time in as many games the Sun Devils were led in scoring by the combination of Brunner (14 points, 12 rebounds) and Katie Hempen (12 points). Two nights earlier at Cal the same duo – (Hempen 17 points/14 in the second half) and Brunner (all 11 points in the second half) – combined for 25 of ASU’s 38 points over the final 20 minutes to help break open what was a tie game at the half.
ASU came through with one of its best rebounding performances of the season as it was plus-17 on the boards, including a 20-11 advantage on the offensive glass. Kelsey Moos tied her career high in rebounds by matching Brunner’s game-high total of 12 while also adding seven points.
The Sun Devils also had the advantage in bench points as Peace Amukamara (season-high nine points), Sabrina Haines (eight points) and Kianna Ibis (four points) combined for 21 points compared to Stanford’s 12.
Last month the Sun Devils held Stanford (20-6, 10-4) to its fewest points ever scored in a 49-31 win in Tempe. Early in the third quarter it appeared the Sun Devils were on their way to a victory in which there would not be any need for last-second theatrics after Hempen and Brunner connected on consecutive jumpers to give the Sun Devils a 42-25 lead.
Erica McCall, who led the Cardinal with a game-high 22 points, scored eight of Stanford’s 11 points in the third quarter and got Stanford within 11 after hitting a jumper with under two minutes left. Ibis would answer at the opposite end however and heading into the fourth quarter the Sun Devils were right back where they started the third quarter: with a 13-point lead.
After making a respectable 41 percent of its shots through the first three quarters there was nothing to indicate that ASU would suddenly go cold from the floor, but that’s just what happened in the fourth quarter as the Sun Devils made only one of their nine field goal attempts over the final 10 minutes of regulation.
The one field goal the Sun Devils made – a layup by Moos – represented their only points over the first eight-plus minutes of the fourth quarter. During that same stretch the Cardinal slowly chipped away at ASU’s lead. A 3-pointer by Stanford’s Briana Roberson got the Cardinal within a single possession, 51-49, with 4:26 remaining.
Although ASU’s offensive drought continued, its defense prevented Stanford from doing any more immediate damage as it forced the Cardinal to miss its next three shots.
With under two minutes left Amukamara gave ASU a little bit of breathing room after sinking a pair of free throws. Roberson would come back with a 3-pointer to make it a one-point game and then, after Elisha Davis made one of two free throws for ASU, Stanford would take its first lead of the game after a 3-pointer by Karlie Samuelson put the Cardinal up 55-54 with 26 seconds left.
Playing behind for the first time in the game the Sun Devils went to Brunner, who was fouled with nine seconds left. She made one of two free throws to tie the game at 55-55. Stanford’s Lili Thompson and McCall both attempted to win it in the final seven seconds, but both of their shots were off the mark and the game went into overtime.
Neither team led by more than two points in the extra session. Amukamara produced the first two points of overtime with a pair of free throws. The two teams would go back and forth until, with the game tied at 59-59 and 1:06 left, McCall made a layup to put Stanford up 61-59.
Brunner’s jumper with 36 seconds remaining once again knotted the score, 61-61. The Sun Devil defense prevented Stanford from reclaiming the lead and got the ball back with 6.7 seconds remaining. Brunner, who one week earlier converted a 3-point play with 1.4 seconds remaining in ASU’s 69-68 win over USC, would be the go-to player again.
In what ended up being a perfectly timed sequence, Brunner gathered in Davis’ bounce pass into the post, turned and let her shot go at the last possible moment for the game-winner.
Although the game went five extra minutes, the Sun Devils still managed to hold Stanford almost six points below the 66.7 points it averaged coming into Sunday’s contest.
Brunner’s 14-point, 12-rebound outing represented her second double-double of the season and the 12th of her career. Her other double-double in 2015-16 came on Jan. 4 when she scored 12 points and grabbed 10 boards in ASU win over Stanford in Tempe.
With their two-point win over Stanford the Sun Devils are now 24-6 the last three seasons in games decided by five points or less/overtime.
The Sun Devils return to action this weekend when they close out the home portion of their regular season schedule against Washington State (Friday at 6 p.m.) and Washington (Sunday at noon). Sunday’s game will be the final regular season home game for Sun Devil seniors Peace Amukamara, Elisha Davis, Arnecia Hawkins, Katie Hempen and Eliza Normen. All five players will be honored in a ceremony following the game. Tickets for both games are on sale and can be purchased by clicking here.