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.”
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| 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.
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