Despite a depleted roster, the Arizona State women’s basketball team (7-3, 3-3 Pac-12) put up an impressive fight on Sunday against No. 1 Stanford (9-0, 6-0 Pac-12) at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe.

The Cardinal only defeated a Sun Devils’ team 68-60 that was missing its most consistent player Eboni Walker (non-injury or disciplinary), crucial reserve Bre’yanna Sanders (non-injury or disciplinary) and Jayde Van Hyfte, who would have started the game if she was not out for the season with a knee issue.

It was the closest margin of victory for Stanford in the 2020-21 season and the 60 ASU points were the second-most the Cardinal have allowed in a game this season. The Sun Devils held Stanford to nearly 20 points less than its average of 87.6 points per game.

ASU coach Charli Turner Thorne was not happy about losing but understanding how well her team played given the circumstances.

“We’re not about moral victories here,” Turner Thorne said. “It feels like a missed opportunity because I think our team was really locked in, and don’t give up those few rebounds down the stretch, execute down the stretch, we can take that game. At the same time, these are all new kids. They’re all new players, so I’m incredibly proud of them.”

The game looked like it would be a Stanford onslaught at the start. The Cardinal defense swarmed the Sun Devils in the first quarter, holding ASU to 1-16 shooting in the period. Stanford led 19-4 after one.

ASU turned the tide after the first quarter. From the second quarter on, the Sun Devils outscored the Cardinal 56-49 and settled in both defensively and offensively. They even cut the Stanford lead to as low as four at the 5:51 mark in the third quarter.

Sun Devil guard Taya Hanson followed up her record-tying performance Friday with another great game Sunday. The junior had 15 points and was 2-3 from the three-point line. ASU freshman Jaddan Simmons also had a fantastic game Sunday. The point guard had a team-high 16 points, added six rebounds, and was 7-7 from the charity stripe.

“It (the game) shows us that we can compete with the No. 1 team in the nation,” Hanson said. “And we’ve known that and kind of believed that we’re capable of those things. We’ve (shown) it in the past. And so it definitely feels a little better than the previous losses that we’ve taken. But again, it’s tough. We’re here to win. And not come for those moral victories.”

Stanford was led by sophomore Fran Belibi. The forward had a 23-point, 12-rebound double-double to pace the Cardinal.

ASU’s next game is on the road at Washington State on Friday at 5 p.m. MST.