TEMPE, Ariz. – After tying for fifth place in the final Pac-12 regular season standings, the No. 24 Arizona State women's basketball team will open play in the Pac-12 Tournament on Thursday (11:30 a.m. PT/12:30 p.m. MT) when it faces No. 12 seed Cal at Mandalay Bay Events Center Las Vegas.
The Sun Devils started the day looking to capture their third win over a Top 5 team but it was not to be as fourth-ranked Stanford outscored ASU by 14 in the middle two quarters to seize control of the game on its way to a 55-44 win.
Robbi Ryan led the Sun Devils (20-10, 10-8 Pac-12) in scoring with 13 points and added four rebounds. Eboni Walker and Jamie Ruden had seven points apiece and Ja'Tavia Tapley and Reili Richardson each added six points for the Sun Devils, who were hamstrung by a 28-percent shooting performance.
Tapley (six rebounds and two blocked shots) and Walker (six points and career high-tying three steals) were two of the main contributors in a defensive effort that held the Cardinal to a point total that tied its lowest of the season.
After hitting 56 percent of its 3-pointers (27-48) in its last three games, ASU shot just 28 percent (3-14) from beyond the arc on Sunday.
Stanford shot 57 percent and outscored ASU's 36-22 during the middle 20 minutes of the game, a major contrast from the first and fourth quarters when it made only 32 percent of its shots and was outscored by ASU 22-19.
Defense ruled the first quarter as the two teams combined to shoot 26 percent (8-31) over the first 10 minutes. Each team led by as many as three with the Cardinal eventually taking a 10-7 advantage into the second quarter.
The Sun Devils were dealt a serious blow when starting senior guard Kiara Russell was injured with 7:26 remaining in the second quarter and had to be assisted off the floor. Russell, one of the team's best defenders, distributors and rebounders, did not return.
Points continued to be hard to come by for both teams in the second frame. Unfortunately for ASU, Ryan (seven points) and Walker (two points) were the only Sun Devils who had any success on the offensive end as the two combined to score all nine of ASU's points in the quarter. After Ryan's 3-pointer cut the Cardinal's lead to 17-14, Stanford went on a 12-2 run to close out the half and take a 29-16 lead into the locker room.
A 3-pointer by Ruden with 5:32 remaining in the third quarter cut Stanford's lead to eight, but the Cardinal came back with the next five points to go up by 13, 36-23.
Stanford would extend its lead to 17 by the end of the third quarter and led by as many as 22 in the early stages of the final period.
The Sun Devils answered by scoring the next 11 points but could not get any closer in the final two minutes of the game.
Sunday's game was the final at home for seniors Richardson, Ruden, Russell, Ryan and Tapley, who were honored after the game.
Thursday's Pac-12 Tournament opener against Cal will be the second time the two teams have played in less than a week. ASU started its final home weekend by tying a season high with 10 3-pointers in a 77-54 win over the Bears on Friday. Earlier on Sunday, the Bears once again proved the strength of the conference from top to bottom as they upset No. 13 Arizona 55-54. The winner of Thursday's game between ASU and Cal will meet Arizona, the No. 4 seed on Friday at 11:30 a.m. PT/12:30 p.m. MT.
Thursday's game against Cal can be seen on Pac-12 Networks and heard on NBC KDUS AM 1060.
The Sun Devils started the day looking to capture their third win over a Top 5 team but it was not to be as fourth-ranked Stanford outscored ASU by 14 in the middle two quarters to seize control of the game on its way to a 55-44 win.
Robbi Ryan led the Sun Devils (20-10, 10-8 Pac-12) in scoring with 13 points and added four rebounds. Eboni Walker and Jamie Ruden had seven points apiece and Ja'Tavia Tapley and Reili Richardson each added six points for the Sun Devils, who were hamstrung by a 28-percent shooting performance.
Tapley (six rebounds and two blocked shots) and Walker (six points and career high-tying three steals) were two of the main contributors in a defensive effort that held the Cardinal to a point total that tied its lowest of the season.
After hitting 56 percent of its 3-pointers (27-48) in its last three games, ASU shot just 28 percent (3-14) from beyond the arc on Sunday.
Stanford shot 57 percent and outscored ASU's 36-22 during the middle 20 minutes of the game, a major contrast from the first and fourth quarters when it made only 32 percent of its shots and was outscored by ASU 22-19.
Defense ruled the first quarter as the two teams combined to shoot 26 percent (8-31) over the first 10 minutes. Each team led by as many as three with the Cardinal eventually taking a 10-7 advantage into the second quarter.
The Sun Devils were dealt a serious blow when starting senior guard Kiara Russell was injured with 7:26 remaining in the second quarter and had to be assisted off the floor. Russell, one of the team's best defenders, distributors and rebounders, did not return.
Points continued to be hard to come by for both teams in the second frame. Unfortunately for ASU, Ryan (seven points) and Walker (two points) were the only Sun Devils who had any success on the offensive end as the two combined to score all nine of ASU's points in the quarter. After Ryan's 3-pointer cut the Cardinal's lead to 17-14, Stanford went on a 12-2 run to close out the half and take a 29-16 lead into the locker room.
A 3-pointer by Ruden with 5:32 remaining in the third quarter cut Stanford's lead to eight, but the Cardinal came back with the next five points to go up by 13, 36-23.
Stanford would extend its lead to 17 by the end of the third quarter and led by as many as 22 in the early stages of the final period.
The Sun Devils answered by scoring the next 11 points but could not get any closer in the final two minutes of the game.
Sunday's game was the final at home for seniors Richardson, Ruden, Russell, Ryan and Tapley, who were honored after the game.
Thursday's Pac-12 Tournament opener against Cal will be the second time the two teams have played in less than a week. ASU started its final home weekend by tying a season high with 10 3-pointers in a 77-54 win over the Bears on Friday. Earlier on Sunday, the Bears once again proved the strength of the conference from top to bottom as they upset No. 13 Arizona 55-54. The winner of Thursday's game between ASU and Cal will meet Arizona, the No. 4 seed on Friday at 11:30 a.m. PT/12:30 p.m. MT.
Thursday's game against Cal can be seen on Pac-12 Networks and heard on NBC KDUS AM 1060.