Sun Devils outduel Golden Bears in final seconds of thriller

By Scott Mammoser

TEMPE, Ariz. – In about as evenly matched as a game you’ll find this season, Arizona State outlasted California, 62-61,  on Sunday, after 18 lead changes and 13 ties.

The No. 19 Sun Devils and No. 24 Golden Bears went back and forth throughout the first half, with none taking a larger lead than a five-point advantage. Cal led after one, 23-20, with the only outstanding statistic being the Golden Bears’ ability to take advantage of points off turnovers. Cal was again in the driver’s seat by one, 33-32, at the break, despite Kianna Ibis scoring 13 of her game-high 26 points.

“Moving through the season, we have so many other weapons, besides Kianna,” ASU coach Charli Turner Thorne said. “I would feel a little stressed because we’ve been leaning on her so hard, but I know we have other weapons.”

ASU defeats Cal in PAC-12 thriller, 62-61

ASU kept All-American Cal center Kristine Anigwe from scoring until the late stages before halftime. Anigwe, the 6-foot-4 senior who is from Phoenix’s Desert Vista High School, leads Division I with 14.4 rebounds per game. She scored 21 and grabbed 16 on Sunday.

“This loss isn’t going to define our season,” Anigwe said. “It’s going to help us grow.”

Consecutive Sun Devil baskets to conclude the third resulted in a 52-48 lead. Anigwe came back to knot it at 55-55, and Courtney Ekmark answered with a three, her first points of the night. Anigwe’s offensive rebound with the score tied and 1:26 on the clock sent her to the line for two points. Ibis dropped in two free throws 30 seconds later to tie it again. Cal could not get off a shot against the tough defense on the next possession. ASU guard Reili Richardson drew the foul while driving to the basket with 4.6 to go, and she iced the first of two. Cal had one more chance but couldn’t get off a quality shot attempt.

“I think this is probably the best point guard conference in women’s basketball,” Turner Thorne said, “and Reili is right up there.”

Looking at the final box score, the teams were nearly deadlocked in all categories, with ASU narrowing the turnover margin. Jaelyn Brown added 11 points for Cal, while Charnea Johnson-Chapman led the Sun Devils with seven rebounds.

“You have to be really tough to find ways to make plays,” Cal coach Lindsey Gottlieb said of playing ASU. “There were times in the game when our guards did a really good job of that. They’re not going to give up anything easy.”

ASU was coming off a 72-65 loss to No. 6 Stanford on Friday, while the Bears lost 60-55 at Arizona. The Sun Devils will hit the road next weekend, beginning at No. 5 Oregon on Friday and No. 10 Oregon State on Sunday. The next home game will be Jan. 25 against UCLA. The Golden Bears continue their season, hosting Washington State at 11:30 PT on Friday morning.