Cardinal set school record for futility in 49-31 loss to ASU

Brittany McPhee scored 21 points and the No. 11 Stanford Cardinal rolled to a 59-34 win at Arizona in its Pac-12 women’s opener on Saturday. Not even the presence of Eastside Prep grad Destiny Graham, who started for Arizona, was enough to make a difference. The senior guard remembered how it felt losing at Wells Fargo Arena the previous two seasons and wanted nothing more than to get some payback against the Sun Devils.

In what was an 83-77 game with 1:14 remaining, Hurley received a technical foul for arguing a foul call on Gabe York against Savon Goodman. Arizona State had 20 assists on 25 made field goals.

Arizona (13-1) dominated inside in the first half and built a 16-point lead in the second on a barrage of 3-pointers led by York.

When Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley got his second technical foul of the game against Arizona, he wasn’t about to leave the court quietly. Tra Holder has ratcheted up his offensive game in Goodman’s absence, averaging 19.3 points over the last four games to bump his season mark to a team-high 14.5. York made 2 of 4 free throws then to make it 85-79.

Arizona State likely would not have come back to win the game given that York was being sent to the foul line. Arizona entered the New Year ranked No. 43 in RPI due to a less-than-impressive strength of schedule, but a road victory against a rival that itself survived a gauntlet of a nonconference slate should help matters come tournament selection time.

If the Sun Devils’ lack of inside presence – 6-foot-7 Oleka spent time guarding both Arizona 7-footers Kaleb Tarczewski and Dustan Ristic on Sunday – does not cause grave problems, they could find themselves as contenders in the Pac-12. The Buffaloes, who led by 16 points early in the second half, were limited to four points in the last 10 minutes.

It was fitting that York was on the foul line for the game-clinching free throws because he was the player most responsible for Arizona’s victory. Guard Gerry Blakes had 12 for Arizona State. “It should always be about the players”.

Kody Justice scored on a four-point play and Oleka dunked over Anderson during a 12-2 run that cut Arizona’s lead to 78-72 with about three minutes left. The forward heads into a January 7 match up with UCLA having now eclipsed double figures in ten straight appearances and pacing the Wildcats with 15.1 points per game.

Next up is a trip to Los Angeles, with Arizona State facing off against the USC Trojans on Thursday night.