By Scott Mammoser
TEMPE, Ariz. – After a tight first quarter, the No. 19
Arizona State women’s basketball team (5-3) figured out Tulsa, earning a 70-52 win
on Sunday to conclude the ASU Classic, the annual four-team tournament it
hosts.
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| Photo by Scott Mammoser |
The Golden Hurricane (4-2) was within 21-19 after the first
period, with Crystal Polk already scoring eight of her 14 points. Tulsa
surprised many with its convincing win over Alabama on Saturday, including ASU
coach Charli Turner Thorne, who needed to switch her scout plan.
“They don’t take a possession off,” Turner Thorne said of
Tulsa. “They know they’re rolls, they know who they are. That was a good test
for us, a team that was tough and feisty, worked hard every possession, good
team win. We were more locked in after we played to their strengths. That first
quarter, we kind of locked in after that. Tulsa is really playing well right
now.”
Kianna Ibis led ASU with 14 points and eight rebounds en
route to being named tourney MVP. Robbi Ryan and Courtney Ekmark each added 12
points, and Reili Richardson dished out seven assists.
“We were just trying to get locked in on their top three,”
Richardson said, “and we take pride on defense. We needed our bench to step up,
and they really came up big today. We have really good scorers, so we need to
find them and put them in position for them to make shots.”
The deep Sun Devils shot 75 percent in the fourth quarter,
while keeping Tulsa off the free throw line during the final three quarters.
Morgan Brady, who scored 26 against Alabama on Saturday, was shut down for
seven points on 2-of-10 shooting.
“One thing we’re focusing on is playing hard for 40 full
minutes. We have showed streaks of it, but then taken the foot off the gas. We
want to make you work every full second. Rebounding is also a huge focus for
us.”
In the consolation game of the event, Louisiana Tech
defeated the Crimson Tide, 79-62. Kierra Anthony scored 25 points with seven
rebounds, while Raizel Guinto scored 17 to pace the two-time NCAA champions,
not to mention the final AIAW champions from 1981.
The next game for the Sun Devils will be at 6 p.m. on Friday
against Southern University at Wells Fargo Arena. Road matches with Colorado
State and Kansas State will follow.
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