Teams that rallied in the second halves of their Pac-12 openers Thursday face each other Sunday in Tempe, Ariz., with Arizona State hoping to build on its win at Colorado and Stanford searching for answers after losing at home to No. 21 UCLA.
Arizona State (7-1, 1-0 Pac-12) overcame a 15-point halftime deficit against Colorado without starting point guard Frankie Collins (out with a non-COVID-19 illness) in the 60-59 win over the Buffaloes.
It was the largest comeback for Arizona State since 2008-09, when the Sun Devils overcame a 16-point halftime deficit against IUPUI in a 59-58 overtime win.
Stanford (3-5, 0-1) cut a 22-point deficit to eight points late in the second half against UCLA but could not overcome its slow start in an 80-66 defeat.
“We can’t play from our heels,” Stanford head coach Jerod Haase said. “Offensively, obviously, we got back and turned the basketball over and weren’t aggressive. And on the defensive end, there was literally zero ball pressure. We just took punches for 20 minutes (in the first half falling behind 50-29).”
The Cardinal trailed 17-0 to start the game, allowing the Bruins to go 8 of 8 from the field and score 13 points off turnovers.
UCLA held the Cardinal scoreless for the first five minutes.
Stanford’s Spencer Jones had a season-high 18 points, finishing 7 of 10 from the floor and 3 of 5 from 3-point range.
Michael Jones had 10 points and five assists, while James Keefe tallied nine points, a game-high seven rebounds and four assists.
Arizona State’s Desmond Cambridge Jr. made a game-winning 3-pointer with 2.6 seconds remaining against Colorado.
The Sun Devils held the Buffaloes without a field goal over the final 6:39 in regulation. All 11 of Cambridge’s points, including the go-ahead basket, came in the second half.
The Sun Devils were led by 18 points from Desmond’s brother, Devan Cambridge.
“We talked about trying to set the tone and get off to a good start in league play,” Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley said. “We had a couple of signature wins in nonconference already (including against then-No. 20 Michigan). … We feel very grateful that we won this game and we’ll get back and get the guys grounded and prepare for Sunday.”
–Field Level Media
