It was Brunner time once again at Maples Pavilion on Sunday.
The junior forward has developed a clutch reputation for No. 9 ASU women's basketball, and her latest game-winner came in a thrilling 63-61 overtime victory over No. 13 Stanford on the road. This is Brunner's second game-winning shot in the last three games — an and-one layup gave her team a 69-68 victory over USC just a week ago.
With 6.7 seconds to go in overtime against the Cardinal (20-6, 10-4 Pac-12), the Sun Devils (22-4, 13-1 Pac-12) were tied at 61 and had possession of the ball with a chance to win.
Senior point guard Elisha Davis furiously dribbled the ball down the court, finding Brunner down low for a fadeaway jumper that escaped her fingers with less than 0.1 seconds to go.
It swished, ASU won, and Davis was the first one to jump on top of Brunner in a celebratory dog pile. Brunner finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds as her elated teammates tackled her to the ground.
DEVILS WIN AT THE BUZZER!!!! Sophie Brunner!!!! @SunDevilWBB #12Best https://t.co/AbezkOFvtC
— Pac-12 Networks (@Pac12Networks) February 15, 2016
Brunner was her normal, composed self in her postgame interview with the Pac-12 networks.
"We wanted this game for a lot of reasons," Brunner said in the televised interview. "We just came together and I'm really proud of how our team played tonight."
The rest of the game told a far different story than the final seconds. Two of the best defensive teams in the entire country didn't play true to form in the first quarter, scoring a combined 42 points. Both teams shot over 50% from the field and relied heavily on the three-point shot early, and ASU led 23-19 after one quarter of play.
The Sun Devils shut down Stanford in the second quarter, holding the Cardinal to six total points and taking a commanding 38-25 lead into the halftime break thanks to an 11-0 run. ASU dominated on the boards as well, holding a 24-12 advantage in that category at the half.
Stanford women's basketball head coach Tara VanDerveer was livid in her halftime interview with the Pac-12 networks, saying the poor performance by her team in all facets of the game made it "not a happy Valentine's Day."
VanDerveer coached ASU's Charli Turner Thorne back when she played at Stanford, so there had to be a little bit of love in the air between the two coaches — paired with the intensity of a top-15 matchup.
Taking a 49-36 lead into the third quarter, the Sun Devils were on the verge of making a major statement in a building that has not been kind to them in recent years. However, the Cardinal came storming back in the fourth quarter.
Just like ASU did to them in the second, Stanford held the Sun Devils to six points in the fourth quarter and forced overtime, with offensive production catalyzed by junior forward Erica McCall.
McCall finished with 22 points on 11-of-14 shooting, but it wasn't enough.
Overtime loomed in the Bay Area and the final five minutes of this game proved just as intense as the first 40. ASU senior guard Promise Amukamara shined in OT and game as a whole, scoring key baskets and drawing a vital charge.
Brunner's shot capped off an overtime period riddled with lead changes and no shortage of dramatic moments, and the Sun Devils escaped with a 63-61 win in a game they couldn't afford to give up.
Turner Thorne said that when her team lost control on the boards, it lost control of the game as a whole.
"This team is just so tough — they just constantly find a way," Turner Thorne said in her postgame interview with the Pac-12 networks. "We kept saying 'it's just gonna come down to toughness' and they found a way to win — that was absolutely fun."
Sitting tied atop the Pac-12 standings with No. 8 Oregon State, the Sun Devils return to Tempe for their final two home games of the season next weekend against Washington and Washington State. The game against the Huskies will be on senior night, where five ASU players will be recognized for their contributions to this program over the years.
For now, the Sun Devils can revel in the clutch performances of a junior who has made her presence felt across the Pac-12: Sophie Brunner.
Reach the reporter at rclarke6@asu.edu or follow @RClarkeASU on Twitter.
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