SEATTLE -- Amber Orrange scored 18 points, Taylor Greenfield's driving basket with 44 seconds left gave Stanford the lead for good and the No. 19 Cardinal held off No. 9 Arizona State 59-56 on Saturday night in the Pac-12 Conference tournament semifinals.
Orrange scored 15 points in the first half and was part of Stanford's decisive run midway through the second half that turned a four-point lead into a 13-point advantage.
Orrange, Bonnie Samuelson and Briana Roberson all knocked down 3-pointers as Stanford (23-9) took a 50-37 lead. The Cardinal needed every bit of that advantage as Arizona State rallied to take a 56-55 lead with 2:19 left. Greenfield's basket proved to be the winner as part of wild final minute.
Sophie Brunner led Arizona State (27-5) with 14 points. The Sun Devils had a chance to tie, but Elisha Davis' 3-point attempt at the buzzer was short.
Greenfield finished with 17 points including a key offensive rebound and free throw with 10 seconds left after Kaylee Johnson split her free throw attempts.
Arizona State snapped a 16-game losing streak to Stanford, winning on the road in January, and became the first conference team to sweep the Cardinal in the regular season since 1988 when the Sun Devils won 53-52 at home in early February.
Wearing their road uniforms for the first time in Pac-12 tournament history, the Cardinal leaned on Orrange and Greenfield in the first half and got contributions from a host of others to build a 13-point second-half advantage.
That's when Arizona State got going. Down 50-37, the Sun Devils scored 14 of the next 16 points. The Sun Devils pulled within 52-51 on Davis' 3-pointer with 3:59 left. Samuelson answered with a deep 3 as the shot clock was about to expire, but Davis hit another 3 out of a timeout. After a Stanford offensive foul, Katie Hempen's two free throws gave Arizona State a 56-55 lead with 2:19 left.
Kelsey Moos missed a chance to extend Arizona State's lead and Greenfield scored to put Stanford back ahead. Arizona State went to Brunner, but her shot was blocked by Kaylee Johnson and went out of bounds to Stanford.
With only one team foul, Arizona State committed five fouls over 7 seconds, but as they attempted to commit the sixth and put Stanford in the bonus, Samuelson lost the ball out of bounds. The Sun Devils went to Davis, but her shot in the lane was blocked by Johnson. She was fouled and hit the first free throw before missing the second that was rebounded by Greenfield.
TIP-INS
Stanford: The Cardinal committed 17 fouls in the second half and until the final minute Arizona State had been called for only one. Stanford shot just five free throws.
Arizona State: Hempen, the Sun Devils' leading scorer, was held to five points.
UP NEXT
Stanford: The Cardinal will face either rival California or Colorado in the tournament title game Sunday.
Arizona State: The Sun Devils await their NCAA tournament seed and will likely host first and second round games.
