Sun Devils come from behind to upset No. 2 Ducks

January 10, 2020

By Scott Mammoser

TEMPE, Ariz. – Trailing for the entire game, a 30-14 fourth quarter propelled Arizona State to a monumental 72-66 win over the Oregon Ducks, ranked second in the national poll, on Friday.

The Ducks (12-2, 2-1 Pacific-12), who began the season as the nation’s No. 1 team before a loss to Louisville, were in position to claim the top spot as virtue of Baylor’s upset of top-ranked UConn on Thursday. The Sun Devils (12-4, 2-2) held the Ducks to 23 points below their scoring average and produced 17 points off turnovers.

ASU upsets #2 Oregon 72-66

“I thought that team, Oregon, was the best team in the country,” ASU coach Charli Turner Thorne said. “I told our team that if they win, celebrate like you won the national championship because you are good enough to. So many great individual performances; I’m really proud of my team. I thought our seniors really stepped up, playing great defense, getting big rebounds, they’ve been getting better and better, stronger and stronger, I think that’s great because they bring a sense of urgency to our team.”

Sabrina Ionescu, the reigning Wade Trophy winner and projected No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft, scored 24 points for Oregon, which were actually nine above her average, and she added 10 rebounds. Robbi Ryan led ASU with 17 points, and Ja’Tavia Tapley scored 16.

Jaz Shelley’s three pointer at the buzzer gave Oregon a 23-15 lead after the first quarter, her first points of the game. It was a seven-point game, 35-28, at the half, with Ionescu already scoring 10 and Ja’Tavia Tapley nine for the Sun Devils.

Things turned around in the fourth. Reili Richardson’s three with five and a half to play, cut it to a four-point game. After a shot clock violation, Richardson hit another three to decrease the lead to one, and Robbi Ryan sent the Devils to a 58-56 lead from beyond the arc with 3:53 to play. Jamie Ruden added another from downtown, following four from the Ducks. Ruden again scored consecutive baskets in the paint in the final minute for a 65-62 lead. Ionescu iced two from the line, but Ryan and Richardson made five of six down the stretch.

Ruden and Richardson each concluded with 12 points, a fact even more impressive as Turner Thorne added that Richardson had the flu and a 102-degree temperature this morning.

“It shows how tough we are, we’re just going to grind out the whole game,” Richardson said. “I practice my free throws a lot, and I put pressure on myself, so when I get into these situations, I make them. We’re going to keep shooting and defending, and that’s what we did.”

ASU’s weekend of hosting top-ranked schools from the Pacific Northwest continues at 2 p.m. on Sunday against No. 3 Oregon State, which is undefeated and will slide to the top ranking with a win. The Ducks will be at No. 18 Arizona at noon on Sunday. The Sun Devils and Ducks meet once more, Sunday, Feb. 9, in Eugene.

“We’ll take the confidence and the toughness with us, for sure,” Ryan said. “I’m so proud and happy for Jamie, just to see the success of what she brings to this team. As a team, we take it one game at a time and focus on what we need to do to win.”