LOS ANGELES- Three Stanford players scored in double-figures, paving the way for the first major upset of the 2010 Pac-10 Tournament, as the seventh-seeded Cardinal knocked off second-seeded Arizona State 70-61 on Thursday night in quarterfinal action.
Jeremy Green led all scorers with 18 points while also grabbing six rebounds. Landry Fields, the leading scorer in the Pac-10 this season at 22.2 points per game, added 17 points and grabbed five rebounds. Fields finished 6-10 from the floor, marking just the second time this season he took fewer than 11 shots.
Trailing by as many as 17, the Sun Devils began fouling to extend the game and Stanford could not convert at the charity stripe. Arizona State cut the lead to eight on a three-point play by Ty Abbott, but could not get any closer.
Emmanuel Igbinosa gave the Cardinal a spark off the bench. In 20 minutes, Igbinosa contributed a career-high 12 points, three rebounds, one assist and one block. The senior entered the game more than five minutes into the first half and immediately scored on a lay-up and 3-pointer to kick start a 9-2 Stanford run.
The Sun Devils answered soon after with a 9-0 run to tie the game at 24-24 with 1:44 to play in the first half. After trailing 29-28 at the break, Arizona State took its only lead of the game on the first possession of the second half. It was all Stanford after that, as the Cardinal took control with a 21-5 run during the next 7:43.
Rihards Kuksiks kept the Sun Devils in the game early with 15 first-half points, but was then held scoreless after intermission. Eric Boateng added 13 points and a career-high 15 rebounds. Boateng's 15 boards are tied for fifth most in a Pac-10 Tournament game.
- Mike Walsh
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NOTES: Tonight was the first meeting between Stanford and Arizona State in the Pac-10 Tournament ... In the first two meetings this year, Arizona State averaged 17 assists and nine turnovers. On Thursday night, the Sun Devils dished out 11 assists while committing 17 turnovers ... Stanford shot 54.8 percent, reaching the 50 percent plateau for the fifth time this year and first since making 52.1 percent against Oregon back on Jan. 23 ... Landry Fields has scored in double-figures in every game this year ... Emmanuel Igbinosa has scored over half of his points (42 of 78 total) over the last six games ... The halftime margin has been six points or less in 20 of Stanford's 31 games this year ... In games when Stanford can place a third player in double-figures along with Landry Fields and Jeremy Green, the Cardinal sports an 11-8 record ... Stanford held a 25-11 edge in points off turnovers.