Arizona stays unbeaten with five-point win at Sun Devils

December 29, 2019

By Scott Mammoser

TEMPE, Ariz. – Aari McDonald scored 14 of her 20 points in the second half, and Cate Reese added 17 points and 10 rebounds to keep the 18^th-ranked Arizona Wildcats undefeated with a 58-53 win at rival Arizona State on Sunday.

Arizona is now 12-0 for the first time in school history and is one of only a handful of undefeated teams left in the nation. The five-point margin was its closest game of the season, lessening the 11 points in its 54-43 win at UTEP. The Sun Devils fell to 10-3, with this being the Pac-12 Conference opener for each squad.

Arizona wins 58-53 over ASU, record 12-0 to start season.

“It’s tough to win a game when you shoot in the twenties,” ASU coach Charli Turner Thorne said of her team’s 20-of-66 shooting performance. “I am disappointed we weren’t sharper, with all of the days off. Credit Arizona, they were tougher, and it’s a good lesson for our younger skids, this league is tough. We were a little late you know closing off on McDonald at times, and then you know some of the other stuff was just a lack of discipline. We need to clean that up, that's just not who we are.”

The Wildcats posted a 26-22 halftime lead, with 20-point per game scorer McDonald held to six. A Cate Reese three pointer allowed the Wildcats to acquire a 37-28 lead midway through the third quarter. It was a rare three-pointer on Sunday, with the teams combining to shoot 6-of-44 from downtown. Iris Mbulito cut the lead to 54-53 with a shot in the post in the final minute, as ASU attempted the comeback, but Sam Thomas iced free throws in the end to claim the finish.

While McDonald and Reese are the breakaway stars for Arizona, ASU’s bench outscored the Cats’ 35-6, something that typically favors teams in the long run.

“It was really fun at the end of the game,” Turner Thorne said. “Our young kids are out there leading the comeback. We have great seniors, but in a game that they didn’t have a best stuff, it was interesting to see the younger kids react. I just thought we didn't play smart.”

Eboni Walker led the Sun Devils with 12 points, one off the freshman’s career-best 13 and twice her average of six. Jamie Ruden was two points behind Walker with 10.

“I owe it to all to my teammates,” said Walker, who also led the Devils with eight rebounds. “I just make sure I do my job for my team. I do things for a team win. I’m a freshman this year, so I need to keep practicing to get to the Pac-12 level. Everyone really pushes me in practice every day.”

Both programs are headed to Southern California next weekend, with the Sun Devils at UCLA at 8 p.m. MT on Friday and at USC at 3 p.m. on Sunday. The Wildcats will be at the Trojans on Friday and the Bruins on Sunday, which has a noon tip.

“That game did not come down to us missing our shots, it came down to us not doing the little things we needed to do,” Ruden added. “We didn’t push in transition. We did not do these little things. In Charli’s style of defense, historically we can still win games shooting 20 percent.”

Sun Devils wrap up Creighton to conclude non-conference schedule

December 20, 2019

By Scott Mammoser

TEMPE, Ariz. – The Arizona State women’s basketball team entered its Christmas break on a high note, taking down the Creighton Bluejays, 70-55, on Friday afternoon. It was the sixth-consecutive win for the Sun Devils, who improved to 10-2, with its next game hosting No. 18 Arizona at noon on Sunday, Dec. 29.

“That’s a really good team,” ASU coach Charli Turner Thorne said of Creighton, which fell to 8-3. “They came in here with the No. 7 RPI, so I’m proud of my team. I thought it was a great team win. They really can shoot the ball, and that was the difference in the game. This was the first day, since we started this new season, that we had every single player practice and play. I’m excited to stay at full strength and make a good run.”

The Sun Devils held the Bluejays to a single field goal for the first eight minutes of the game, and after a Robbi Ryan buzzer beater, ASU held a 15-8 lead after one quarter. The team kept the pace en route to a 30-22 halftime edge.

ASU wins 6 in a row, defeating Creighton 70-55

Ryan converted the rare four-point play, being fouled on a three from the corner in the early third quarter. Two minutes later, Jayde Van Hyfte (11 points on the day) executed a three that opened a 15-point margin, and ASU cruised to the finish.

“We can always do better,” said Ryan, who finished with 12 points. “We were inconsistent at times on defense. Those are shots I practice every day. Creighton’s a great team, so this win was really important. This was a huge win, and we need to keep building off it.”

Olivia Elger led Creighton with 24 points, 14 above her average. Jaylyn Agnew, scoring 18.5 points per game, was limited to 12, and she was one of three Bluejays to grab five rebounds.

“I thought Reili Richardson and Taya Hanson tag teamed on one of the best scorers in the country,” Turner Thorne said of defending Agnew. “We limited her touches and did a great job on her.”

Creighton will now enter the Big East season with games at Georgetown and Villanova on Dec. 29 and 31. The Bluejays, who were selected to finish fourth in the league preseason, own wins over Nebraska, West Virginia and Temple, while their two prior losses were to Drake and South Dakota.

The Sun Devils’ matchup with the Wildcats will be a change of pace, as ASU is typically favorited.

“Even if we don’t have a number, it’s a huge game for us,” Ryan added. “We’re learning and growing, we are young, but we have a really high ceiling.”

Sun Devils obliterate Lobos behind Richardson’s career high

December 14, 2019

By Scott Mammoser

TEMPE, Ariz. – Reili Richardson scored a career-best 21 points to lead the Arizona State women’s basketball team to an 84-47 win over New Mexico on Saturday afternoon.

Richardson’s previous best was 18 at Florida State two years ago, and she eclipsed the mark with a three pointer that opened a 20-point lead with three minutes to go in the third.

ASU Crushes New Mexico 84-47

“My teammates have helped me all four years,” said Richardson, who was 5-of-10 from three-point range. “They make the shots, I pass them. We were in a better flow today, and when we get better looks, we make our shots.”

The Sun Devils (8-2) found a quick start and double-figure lead after the first quarter (22-9), something that was missing in its previous two games, rally wins over BYU and Idaho State. ASU led 32-23 at the half, with Richardson already scoring 12, two from downtown. While Richardson rested on the bench for most of the second half, it was a great opportunity for Sara Bejedi, the freshman from Finland, who notched 13 of her personal-high 16 points off the bench in the second half.

“It’s our way of just playing fast,” Bejedi said of the style of play on Saturday. “I came in with a great mindset today, and my team was great. I chose to be positive and focus on the next shot and not the missed shot.”

In addition, ASU forward Ja’Tavia Tapley pulled in another double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds, and Kiara Russell grabbed eight rebounds with five assists. Jordan Hosey led the Lobos (7-4) with nine points. The Sun Devils were 10-of-31 from downtown for the game, and they kept the Lobos to 0-of-18 from long range.

“I’m very proud of our team, we really put it together today,” ASU Coach Charli Turner Thorne said. “We made the extra pass a little better in the second half, and it’s something to build on. Hopefully, there’s no looking back for Reili Richardson because she’s one of our best shooters. It loosens up a little bit of everything.”

ASU was fifth in the also receiving votes category of the coaches’ poll this week (30^th) and eighth in the AP Poll (33^rd overall).

Next up for both teams will be the New Mexico State Aggies, with the Lobos hosting at 7 p.m.  Monday in Albuquerque, then the Sun Devils travel to Las Cruces at 11 a.m. on Wednesday. UNM and ASU then play hosts for Big East opponents, Providence (7 p.m., Wednesday in Albuquerque) and Creighton (2 p.m., Friday at Tempe).

The Lobos started the season 6-0, with wins over Houston and Missouri, before losses to West Virginia, Boise State and Wyoming. The program appeared in eight NCAA Tournaments from 1998 to 2008, but it has been absent from the Big Dance since.

Sun Devils need overtime to pull away from Idaho State

December 8, 2019

By Scott Mammoser

TEMPE, Ariz. – Arizona State erased a six-point halftime deficit and survived some unique three-point shots to defeat Idaho State, 74-69, in overtime on Sunday.

It was the second tough game this weekend, as the Sun Devils had grinded out a 60-52 comeback win over BYU on Friday.

“I’m proud that we toughed it out,” ASU coach Charli Turner Thorne said. “There is a lot of inconsistency on both sides of the ball. They were banking in threes and hitting shots they didn’t hit all year. Discredit us for letting them do it. It’s hard when we don’t know our play book, and our younger kids don’t know our playbook.”

ASU wins in OT 74-69 over Idaho State

The Sun Devils hit a free throw in the final seconds of the first quarter to take an 18-17 lead following a tight-knit period. ISU guard Diaba Konate and ASU’s Robbi Ryan each scored eight in the first period. Two minutes into the second, Ryan went down with an injury and did not return. ISU guard Dora Goles scored 10 of her 26 points in the second, none more impressive than her three pointer while falling backwards with 30 seconds left to put ISU ahead, 35-29, at the half.

Mirroring the BYU win, where the Sun Devils trailed 23-17 at the half and by as many as 12, the team rallied back in the third, moving ahead, 46-43. The Bengals never went away, with Callie Bourne’s three cutting the lead to 56-54 with three and a half minutes to play. Goles tied it at 56-56 two minutes later. Reili Richardson then put ASU back ahead with a three at the one-minute mark. Bourne then tossed up a one-handed prayer with 12.8 seconds on the clock that tied it again. The Sun Devils owned ISU in overtime, keeping it off the board for the first three and a half minutes.

“We knew that was our game, so we needed to be the more aggressive team in overtime,” said ASU guard Kiara Russell, who scored a career-high 14 points. “We needed to do the little things and be there for each other. Running our offense was key for us.”

Ja’Tavia Tapley led ASU with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Bourne and Konate finished with 13 a piece for ISU, and Goles was 5-of-7 from downtown.

Prior to its game with the Sun Devils, all of ISU’s wins were by at least 20 points, most recently an 88-61 win at Utah Valley on Dec. 3. The two losses were to power conference teams Oklahoma State and Duke by 18 and 19. It is next at home to face California Baptist on Dec. 16, and after a trip to Utah State on Dec. 19, the Big Sky Conference season begins. The Bengals last won the league title in 2012.

The Sun Devils will return to action at home at 2 p.m. on Saturday against the New Mexico Lobos.