@SunDevilHoops Defeats Stanford In Conference Opener

Paced by a career-high 30-points from senior wing Torian Graham off the bench, the Arizona State men's basketball team (8-6/1-0) opened Pac-12 play with a 98-93 victory over Stanford Friday night at the Maples Pavilion behind a big-time effort at free throw line, as ASU went 33-of-43 (.767), including 22-of-29 (.759) in the second half. The 33 made free throws are the second-highest the Sun Devils have ever made in Pac-12 game, topped only by 34 vs. USC on March 1, 2008.

ASU closed the first half strong with a 7-0 run in the final 57 seconds as it scored on 15-of-16 of its final possessions in the first half.

MOST ASU POINTS OFF BENCH (1997-98 TO PRESENT)
31-Steve Moore, 2/10/05 at UCLA
30-Torian Graham, 12/30/16 at Stanford
29-Shawn Redhage, 2/8/03 at Washington
24-Savon Goodman, 12/20/14 vs Lehigh
24-Tommy Smith, 2/10/01 vs. Washington
24-Tanner Shell, 1/20/00 at USC
23-Torian Graham, 11/11/16 vs Portland State

"Torian, it doesn't matter to him. He's a loyal guy and he accepts any role we give him," Coach Hurley said. "He may only be (on the bench) for a minute, which was the case tonight. He's one of the best all-around players in the conference. He made tough shots tonight."

ASU'S HIGHEST SCORING PAC-10/12 ROAD GAMES
ASU 111, @California 108, 2OT (Jan. 8, 2000)
ASU 103, @Arizona 98, 2OT (Mar. 11, 1995)
ASU 100, @USC 85 (Jan. 17, 2004)
ASU 99, @California 90, 2OT (Jan. 17, 2008)
@Arizona 127, ASU 99 (Jan. 15, 1998)
ASU 99, @Oregon 84 (Jan. 30, 1993)
ASU 98, @Stanford 93 (Dec. 30, 2016)

Graham posted a career-high in scoring for a third-consecutive outing connecting on 12-of-17 attempts from the field and grabbed a game-high eight rebounds. The Durham, N.C. native has proven to be a prolific scorer early in the 2016-17 campaign, having now scored 20+ points in three consecutive appearances, while passing the mark six times on the season. He became the first Sun Devil to score 30 or more since Jahii Carson poured in 40 points at UNLV in November of 2013.

In total four Sun Devils scored in double-figures including Graham. Tra Holder, nearly matched his own respective career-high of 26 points, scoring 25 while adding five rebounds and four assists. Shannon Evans II also impressed scoring 15 connecting on 12-of-14 attempts from the charity stripe. The junior guard also added five rebounds and four assists. Forward Obinna Oleka also added 11.

TRA HOLDER 20+ GAMES (14/7 THIS SEASON)
26 at UCLA (1/9/16)
25 at Stanford (12/30/16)
24 vs. #9 Creighton (12/20/16)
24 vs. Cal Poly (11/13/16)
24 vs. #8 Arizona (1/3/16)
23 vs. Portland State (11/11/16)
22 vs. Central Arkansas (12/22/16)
22 vs. Citadel (11/23/16)
23 vs. CSU-Bakersfield (12/28/15)
22 vs. North Carolina State (11/23/15)
21 at USC (1/7/16)
20 vs. UNLV (12/31/16)
20 vs. #23 USC (2/12/16)
20 vs. Washington State (1/16/16)

The Sun Devils closed the contest shooting 54.2 percent (13-of-24) from beyond the arc and outrebounded the Cardinal 35-25. After trading shots for much of the first half, the Sun Devils ended the period on a 9-1 run capped by a buzzer beating three from Graham, to enter the break with a 52-39 lead. 

Despite a late push by the Cardinal who managed to cut the deficit to just two with .07 ticks remaining, a series of foul shots from Evans II and Oleka put the Maroon and Gold over the top.

Graham has said he's comfortable with coming off the bench.

"I'm accepting the role," he said. "It's exciting, honestly, to be able to bring a spark off the bench."

TORIAN GRAHAM 20+ GAMES (6)
30 at Stanford (12/30/16)
26 vs. Central Arkansas (12/22/16)
24 vs. #9 Creighton (12/20/16)
23 vs. Portland State (11/11/16)
22 vs. UNLV (12/3/16)
22 vs. Tulane (11/18/16)

"Torian was fantastic, obviously," Stanford coach Jerod Haase said. "I thought early in the game that he had looks that were pretty clean. That kind of set the tone for the game. When good shooters get confidence it's hard to stop them."

Up next, Arizona State will travel 40 miles and ring in the New Year with a visit to the California Golden Bears Sunday, Jan. 1 at 7 p.m. PT/8 p.m. MT. Tim Healey and Kyle Dodd will have the call on the Sun Devil Sports Radio Network while Bill Daron Sutton and Bill Walton have the call for the Pac-12 Network.

NOTE FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS: Jerod Haase and Bobby Hurley squared off on the court as college players 24 seasons ago when Cal scored an 82-77 upset win over two-time defending national champion Duke in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Hurley scored 32 points in his last game as a senior at Duke and Haase had 13 for Cal.

FREE THROW THREE-DOT DATA: The Sun Devils are making free throws at a rate that is third-best school history, as ASU is shooting 243-of-323 (.752) from the charity stripe. ASU shot .756 in 1977-78 and .754 in 1954-55 for its best seasons...junior Tra Holder is 296-of-405 (.731) from the charity stripe in his 78 games...junior Shannon Evans made his first 20 free throws to start the season. He is 240-of-295 (.814) from the free throw line in his career.

THREE-POINT NOTE: Entering 2016-17 ASU had made a three-pointer in 522 straight games. The last time ASU did not make a three-pointer was in an 89-57 win over Washington in Tempe on Feb. 10, 2001. That streak is now up to 536 games.

PAC LIDLIFTERS: ASU is now 11-28 in Pac-10/12 openers, 5-14 in its past 19 and 7-21 in past 28...ASU also won openers in 1978-79, 1979-80, 1982-83, 1987-88, 1994-95, 1997-98, 2002-03, 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2012-13.

PAC-12 OPENERS PAST 11 SEASONS (4-7)
ASU 98, @Stanford 93 (Dec. 30, 2016)
#8 Arizona 94, ASU 82 (Jan. 3, 2016)
@#8 Arizona 73, ASU 49 (Jan. 4, 2015)
Washington 76, ASU 65 (Jan. 2, 2014)
ASU 55, Utah 54, OT (Jan. 2, 2013)
@Arizona 68, ASU 51 (Dec. 31, 2011)
@Oregon State 80, ASU 58 (Dec. 30, 2010)
@UCLA 72, ASU 70 (Dec. 31, 2009)
ASU 90, @Stanford 60 (Jan. 2, 2009)
ASU 62, Oregon 54 (Jan. 3, 2008)
Stanford 71, ASU 60 (Dec. 28, 2006)