Devils in Detail
Fansided

ASU Basketball: Sun Devils beat Stanford, now 4-0 in conference

By Carson Field

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 11: Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky the Sun Devil stands on the court during a first-round game of the Pac-12 Basketball Tournament against the USC Trojans at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on March 11, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. USC won 67-64. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 11: Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky the Sun Devil stands on the court during a first-round game of the Pac-12 Basketball Tournament against the USC Trojans at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on March 11, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. USC won 67-64. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

No. 25 ASU women’s basketball advanced to 4-0 in Pac-12 play on Sunday with a win over No. 24 Stanford, 73-66.

When it all seemed to be going the wrong way, Jamie Ruden hit a big shot. The sophomore hit a three pointer before the end of the first quarter to shrink the deficit to six points. It all went ASU’s way after that.  

ASU took an early 5-2 lead off a Kianna Ibis and-one play, but Stanford regained the lead quickly. The Cardinal went on a 15-2 run, giving Stanford a 17-7 lead.

The Ruden shot to end the first quarter changed the course of the game and energized the crowd.

Sophomore guard Kiara Russell said the energy in Wells Fargo Arena was a large factor in the ASU win.

“The crowd’s energy was unbelievable today,” Russell said. “The atmosphere in the gym was crazy, so thank you to the fans that came.”

The tide turned quickly in the second quarter and Stanford only scored seven points in the period. ASU took its first lead since the beginning of the first quarter to make the score 28-27 with 3:03 left in the second.

More from Devils in Detail

ASU ended the second on an 11-0 run, giving them an eight-point, 35-27 lead at the half. Arizona State shot 57.1 percent from the field in the second, a large improvement from the first quarter when the team shot a measly 38.5 percent.

The scoring was spread among the team in the first half, for nine players were on the scoresheet, and Ruden led the Sun Devils with seven at the half.

ASU continued to play well into the third quarter, leading the Cardinal by 10 at one point in the period. However, Stanford finished the quarter on a 6-0 run, minimizing the ASU lead to four by a score of 50-46.

The Sun Devils pulled away in the fourth quarter due to a strong shooting performance. ASU shot 60 percent from the field, opposed to a dismal 33.3 percent from the Cardinal.

Despite shooting 55.6 percent from the line in the fourth quarter, ASU finished off the Cardinal by a score of 73-66 for their second victory over a ranked opponent in the last week.

Charnea Johnson-Chapman led the Sun Devils in scoring with 16 points, and Reili Richardson followed behind with 11 points. Johnson-Chapman also recorded a team-high nine rebounds.

Arizona State is now 13-3 overall and 4-0 in Pac-12 play following the win against the Cardinal. The Sun Devils are still undefeated at home this season, and their next home game will be played on January 19th.

Despite the impressive start, Robbi Ryan said the team will stay focused and not get ahead of itself.

“Charli (Turner Thorne) always tells us when we win and when we lose to never get too high and never get too low,” Ryan said. “We just need to keep focusing on us and the things we need to do.”

Next up for the Sun Devils is a trip to the Pacific Northwest for games against Oregon State and Oregon, who are ranked No. 16 and No. 9, respectively.

“We’re going to have another opportunity this coming week,” Turner Thorne said. “Two teams that are above us, so we’re kind of enjoying an underdog mindset this year.

“I don’t know if we have a chip on our shoulder, but it’s kind of like ‘okay you’re supposed to beat us? Let’s go,’ so we’re having fun with it.”

Next: ASU Basketball: Kianna Ibis’ 26 points paces Sun Devils to win over Cal

The Oregon State game is on Friday at 7 p.m. MT and the game can be watched on Pac-12 Arizona.

All quotes in this article were obtained firsthand by Devils in Detail unless otherwise noted.