Devils Upset the Spartans with last second field goal

Mike Stockman

Tempe, AZ (September 8, 2018) The Arizona State University Sun Devils hosted the Michigan State Spartans in Game 2 of the 2018 season.  This was the third time these teams have met with the last game played in 1986.

In the first quarter, the Devils were able to hold the Spartans to 102 yards, allowing a 37  yard field goal.

In the second quarter, the Devils intercepted the Spartans in the end zone, but were unable to capitalize on the turn over.

With less than a minute left in the half, Wilkins dropped back and tossed a high throw over the middle, which was intercepted by the Spartans - ending the drive and any hopes of the Devils tying up a Spartan 3-0 lead before half time.  

In the third quarter, the Spartans drove the length of the field and kicked a 28 yard field goal making the lead 6-0 with 9:37 left in the quarter.

After a solid drive, the Devils were held to kicking a 49 yard field goal, making the score 6-3 in favor of the Spartans.

Spartans score on a 31 yard touchdown pass with 1:27 left in the quarter.

The Devils end the quarter with a 22 yard reception at the Spartans' 7 yard line but were unable to punch it in. They settle for a 24 yard field goal, 13-6 Spartan lead.

With 8:45 left in the game, Wilkins hits Harry for a 27 yard touchdown pass, tying the game 13-13.

Back to back sacks puts Spartans in a very long 3rd down, giving the Devils the ball back with 5:36 left on the clock.

The Devils take the ball, slowly march down the field getting first down after first down until 
lining ball up at the 10 yard line for a last second, 28 yard game winning field goal.

The Spartans next game is on September 22 at Indiana.

The Devils travel to San Diego for their first away game of the season to take on San Diego State University. Kick-off is at 7:30 pm and can be viewed on CBSSN. 

Mercury makes history with comeback win in Game Four of semifinals

By Scott Mammoser

The Phoenix Mercury erased a 16-point Seattle Storm lead in the third quarter on Sunday, to pull out an 86-84 win and became the first team in WNBA history to force a decisive game of a best-of-five series after trailing 0-2. Game Five will be at 7 p.m. on Tuesday in Seattle.

Mercury come from behind to force game five in Seattle

The top-seeded Storm came ready to play in Game Four, with a chance to return to the Finals for the first time since winning the 2010 title. Contrast to Friday’s 17-6 Mercury opening lead in Game Three, the Storm began the game on a 22-8 run, with league MVP Breanna Stewart leading the way.

Storm guard Sue Bird was bleeding after being hit in the face left midway through the second quarter and did not return. The Storm led 53-42 at halftime, despite Brittney Griner already pouring in 19 of her 29 points and grabbing seven of her 12 rebounds. Alysha Clark’s three two minutes into the third made it 60-44, and it seemed like the dagger, until Phoenix staged its comeback.  Diana Taurasi cut the lead to five with an off-balance three and two seconds to play in the third. Camille Little, who won a title with the Storm in 2010, scored to open the fourth, and the Mercury soon found itself trailing by only one. Griner knotted it at 76-76 at the six-minute mark, and DeWanna Bonner gave the Mercury the lead from the line on the next possession. Natasha Howard tied it at 84-84 for Seattle with 35 ticks on the clock, and Bonner grabbed her own offensive rebound and found Griner for the go-ahead basket at the 14-second spot. Out of the timeout, the Storm couldn’t get off a shot on its final possession, and the series shifts back to Seattle.

“We protected our house,” Mercury coach Sandy Brondello said, “and it went right down to the wire. We’re very excited to play a fifth game. I moved DeWanna Bonner to the three (which was the key to the comeback), she had been great in the four, but she’s been so aggressive. Camille came in and did a great job on Stewie (Breanna Stewart). Hopefully, everyone’s on board. We were not in plays like we should have been in that first half. We had to stay to what our philosophy is and being active and a sense of urgency.”

In addition to Griner’s double-double, Bonner scored 27 with eight rebounds, while Taurasi scored 16.

“We just regrouped and we’re not ready to go home yet,” Bonner said. “With 20 minutes to play, we could give it all we got, or we could go home tomorrow. We just wanted it a little more. They lost a big piece of their puzzle (Bird), and they only lost by two points, so it says a lot about them. They are going to bring it, I felt like they brought it today, it’s hard coming back from all of those leads, it shows a lot of character and heart. Nobody wants to go home.”

Stewart led the Storm with 22 points, Howard added 14 and Clark 13. Jewell Loyd, who has owned the Mercury in recent years, responded from an uncharacteristic 1-of-10 night on Friday and opened the first quarter 3-of-3. She ended 4-of-12 for 11 points.

“We put ourselves in some tough situations,” Stewart said. “The ball got a little stagnant, and those lulls don’t help us when we’re playing a team like Phoenix. Being under the basket with BG on you is a tough shot, but still I should have gotten a shot off on the last possession of the game. We got a little rushed and forced and lost the rhythm of what we normally play.”

The Washington Mystics defeated the Atlanta Dream, 97-76, in Game Four of the other WNBA semifinal series in D.C. to set up a decisive Game Five at 5 p.m. PT on Tuesday in Atlanta.

The Devils Start season with penalty ridden win over Roadrunners

Mike Stockman

Tempe, Arizona (September 1, 2018) - The Arizona State University Sun Devils began the 2018 season at home, hosting University of Texas at San Antonio Roadrunners on Saturday night with the temperature at kick-off cooling off to 99 degrees - one of the warmest season opener games ever played in UTSA history.

The Devils scored quick on the fourth play of the game when senior QB Manny Wilkins connected with junior WR N'Keal Harry for a 58 yard touchdown strike up the middle.

Wilkins earned a 204.6 passer rating with 4 TDs, 237 yards

The Devils defense followed with the next score when on second down for the Roadrunners, sophomore DE Shannon Forman rambled down the sideline for a 25 yard interception.  With less than 2 minutes into the season, the Devils led 14-0 over the Roadrunners.

After one quarter of play, the Devils had six penalties totaling 40 yards but were able to rack up 168 total yards in offense for the quarter to the Roadrunners' 53 yards.

In the second quarter, the Devils' DB Jalen Harvey was ejected for targeting when Roadrunner quarterback Cordale Grundy slid for a first down, giving the Devils their seventh penalty of the game.  

With 4:26 left in the first half, sophomore Eno Benjamin scored on a three yard run up the middle putting the Devils up 21-0.

With less than a minute left in the half on the Roadrunners 10 yard line, Wilkins scrambled to his left and hit Terrel Chatman in the back of the end zone, increasing the lead to 28-0.

Devils Defense scored once and allowed 2 yards rushing 

In the third quarter, the Devils put together a six play drive that took 3:01 off the clock and finished with a seven yard touchdown pass to Eno Benjamin. The Devils lead extended to 35-0. 

The Devils added to the score when Harry caught a pass on the left sideline of the field and ran back to the right dodging around defenders for 31 yards, scoring his second touchdown reception of the game which gave the Devils a 42-0 lead going into the fourth quarter.

The Devils Isaiah Floyd scored his first touchdown as a Devil on a five yard run bumping the score to 49-0 with 11:39 left in the game.

The Roadrunners get on the board with 6:03 left in the game after an eleven play, 75 yard drive that ended on a four yard touchdown run by B.J. Daniels.

Coach Herm Edwards' game face with first victory

The Devils finished the night winning 49-7 with 504 total yards offense while the defense held the Roadrunners to 220 total yards, shutting down the running game allowing two total rushing yards.

The Devils ended the night with 11 penalties totaling 95 yards to the Roadrunners 5 penalties for 29 yards.

The Roadrunners (0-1) head back to Texas to take on the Baylor Bears in San Antonio on September 8 at 6pm.

The Devils (1-0) host Michigan State on September 8 in Sun Devil Stadium.

Bonner and Turner push Mercury to fourth game against Storm

By Scott Mammoser

PHOENIX - Coming off of an overtime loss in Game Two, the Phoenix Mercury staved off elimination with an 86-66 win over the Seattle Storm in Game Three of the WNBA semifinals to force a fourth game at 2 p.m. on Sunday at Talking Stick Resort Arena.

DeWanna Bonner piled in 27 points, Brittney Griner scored 21, and the surprise of the game was Yvonne Turner’s 19 to make up for Diana Taurasi’s uncharacteristic night of 3-of-11 shooting. Things were out of the ordinary on the other end, as well, with Sue Bird being held scoreless and Jewell Loyd shooting 1-of-10 for two points.

“It’s just been an unbelievable year,” Bonner said. “The hardest thing I’ve ever done is come back from having twins. We have one more, we can’t settle. We know they are going to come back and make adjustments.”

A little over four minutes into the game, Turner’s three put the Mercury up 17-6, and Phoenix was poised with a 26-16 advantage after the opening quarter, despite Taurasi being held scoreless. The Storm took the lead midway through the second, but it only lasted one possession. Bonner was 7-of-11 with 18 points at halftime, as the Mercury led 42-35.

Phoenix grabbed onto its lead during the third quarter, but after Griner was called for an illegal screen on Alysha Clark on midcourt, the team lost concentration and allowed Seattle back into the game, within one. Taurasi finally scored on a finger roll with 6:16 remaining, then added two more three pointers as the Mercury outscored the Storm in the fourth 26-10.

“I thought we were good in the games in Seattle, but we weren’t great,” Mercury coach Sandy Brondello said. “We weren’t executing the scout at times. Seattle’s a great team; if you don’t execute what you want to do, they will break you down. DeWanna’s always been a special player, she just continues to impress me. She is built like Diana and has that will to win. She loves challenges. She can defend anyone when she is locked in.”

Natasha Howard, the league’s Most Improved Player and an all-defensive first team selection, (as was Griner), led the Storm with 19 points, with 10 rebounds, while league MVP Breanna Stewart collected 15 and 11. Bird dished 11 assists, which were a playoff career best for her. Bonner and Griner tied Stewart with the game-high 11 rebounds.

“I think the biggest thing was, everyone knows we were up 2-0,” Stewart added, “and Phoenix being down 2-0 on its home court, and they didn’t want their season to be over.”

The Atlanta Dream won at the Washington Mystics, 81-76, to take a 2-1 series lead in the other semifinals series on Friday. Game Four will be on Sunday in Washington.