Roadrunners break away from GCU down the stretch

By Scott Mammoser

PHOENIX – After a back-and-forth first half, Cal State Bakersfield connected on some long-range shots at key moments to break away from the Grand Canyon University women’s basketball team, 59-46, on Saturday.

Ashley Austin scored nine of her 17 points in the opening period to lead CSUB (9-12, 5-3 WAC), as both the first and second quarters were decided by one point. Jasmin Dixon drained a three from the corner to open a six-point lead for CSUB midway through the third. GCU (5-13, 3-5 WAC) began catching up, before another three from Malayasia McHenry from the exact same spot, and a low-post tip in from Vanessa Austin at the buzzer amounted to a 42-34 CSUB edge. Jazmine Johnson connected on the third strike from the right corner for three points with three minutes to play.

“I don’t think it was anything they were doing,” said GCU senior forward AJ Cephas, who scored 12 points with five rebounds. “I think it was on us, and we got fatigued. It was just hard to push through as much as we should have.”

Da’jah Daniel scored nine of her GCU-high 14 points in the first quarter. The 6-foot-4 junior forward who averages six points per game, was named the WAC Player of the Week after her 24 point-22 rebound performance in GCU’s previous game, a 75-71 win over California Baptist, and that is just one of nine such games in Division I this season. She also grabbed a game-high nine rebounds on Saturday.

“We’re going to watch film and work on this, come back even stronger next time,” Cephas added. “We for sure had our lows, but we know how good we can be, when we play together. When we get a healthy group back, we’ll be good. We’re going to keep working on us, we need to be aggressive on defense. As long as we stay on that aggressive mentality, we’ll be good.”

McHenry added 13 points for the Roadrunners and Austin 10. While CSUB will be at New Mexico State on Thursday, the Lopes will next be at UTRGV at 6 p.m. on Feb. 7, and they return home to face Kansas City at 6 p.m. on Feb. 14. GCU and CSUB will play again in California on March 2.

Ibis and Ekmark power Sun Devils in rematch with Wildcats and McDonald

By Scott Mammoser

TEMPE, Ariz. – In a contrast from their first meeting in December, the No. 21- ranked Arizona State women’s basketball team shut down Arizona, 60-47, on Friday, to improve to 15-6 and 6-4 in the Pac-12 Conference.

ASU defeats Arizona 60-47

Aari McDonald, second in the nation with 25.2 points per game (Megan Gustafson of Iowa is averaging 26.4), scored 28 points and grabbed nine rebounds, but the Wildcats’ next high scorer was Sam Thomas with five. The Cats, at 14-7 and 4-6 now, are slipping away from the bubble for an NCAA Tournament berth.

In the first meeting at Tucson, Arizona limited ASU to 23 percent shooting and 4-of-23 from downtown in a 51-39 victory. But on Friday, Kianna Ibis and Courtney Ekmark, two players who fell victim to that poor shooting night, scored 19 and 20 points, respectively, with Ibis grabbing 10 rebounds to complete her double-double.

 “Remembering what last game was like, we said we’re not going to give them what they got last time,” said Ibis, who passed the 1,000-point mark for her career. “It was a fun game, and I’m glad we got the win tonight.”

With a 9-7 lead after one, the Sun Devils opened a 12-4 run highlighted with Reili Richardson and Ekmark threes that  eventually led to a 25-13 halftime lead.

“They got one on us, so that motivated us,” Ekmark said. “We’re just trying to get in the rhythm, and we’re working on our offense clicking so we will be squared away for the rest of the Pac-12 schedule. Reili and Ki Ki (Kiara Russell) did an awesome job on defense, and I’m really proud of their effort.”

Arizona forward Cate Reese cut the lead to seven midway through the third quarter, but Ekmark answered with another three. Bryce Nixon’s three from the corner at the buzzer made it a four-point game with one period to play; however, ASU had no problems holding onto its advantage, cruising to a double-digit win.

“I’m very proud of our defensive effort,” ASU coach Charli Turner Thorne said. “U of A is a very good team, and they did a good job of hanging around until the end. I thought we tried to get a better shot in the second half. We did a really good job on McDonald for most of the game. Part of your legacy, no doubt, is how you did against U of A, so good for the seniors.”

Arizona is at McDonald’s former team, the Washington Huskies, at 8 p.m. on Thursday. Feb. 7. The
Sun Devils are at Washington State at the same time, and the teams swap opponents on Feb. 9.

Also of note, the Phoenix Mercury resigned ASU assistant coach Briann January to a multi-year contract earlier in the day on Friday, as well as returning guard Yvonne Turner. Coach Turner Thorne mentioned in her press conference that January was a perfect example of the rivalry and legacy, as she went undefeated against the Wildcats during her 2005-09 tenure and was rallying the current players.

Runge returns to the pool in Arizona State’s win over Cougars

By Scott Mammoser

TEMPE, Ariz. – There were high expectations for Cierra Runge in her return to NCAA swimming, and the Olympic gold medalist delivered with first-place finishes in the 100-and 200-yard freestyle events in Arizona State’s 174-85 home-opening win over Washington State on Saturday.

“We’ve been training really well during this interim holiday period,” ASU coach Bob Bowman said. “It was good to get back into racing. In general, we had good energy, people were racing well. It was nice to have Cierra Runge for the first time racing for us, her first meet in a year. Emma Nordin was really good today, and across the board, we swan pretty well. Turns and finishes are things we can always improve on.”

ASU Swimming and Diving start season with win over Cougars

Runge placed a 1:49.44 in the 200, nearly three seconds ahead of second-place Ryan Falk of WSU, and took the 100 in 50.64 seconds. Runge previously swam at the University of California and the University of Wisconsin before transferring to ASU. She won the 800 free relay at the 2016 Olympics and the World Championships in both 2015 and 2017.

“It feels really awesome,” Runge said, “being able to compete and contribute was awesome. I missed the competition, I hadn’t competed since August nationally, and it’s been a year and a half since I have done duals. I told the team this is the best experience I have had swimming collegiately.”

Silja Kansakoski, the junior from Oulu, Finland, won the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:02.43 and is excited to have the Runge as a teammate.

“It’s amazing, I never saw someone so fast,” Kansakoski said. “It brings so much more confidence to our team to have (Runge) here. We trained so hard over winter training, and I can’t wait to see how quick we are going to swim.”

Other winners on Saturday were: Nordin in the 1,000 free (10:10.80) and 500 free (4:50.02), Chloe Isleta in the 100 back (55.13) and 200 back (2:00.09), Ruby Martin in the 200 butterfly (2:02.53), Fanny Teijonsalo in the 50 free (23.68) and 100 butterly (55.29), and Taylor McCoy in the 200 individual medley (2:07.61).

The Sun Devil team of Isleta, Kansakoski, Teijonsalo, and Camryn Curry swam the 200-yard medley relay in 1:42.23, while Nordin, Kendall Dawson, Runge, and Marlies Ross produced a 7:34.53 in the 800-yard free relay. Mackenzie Duarte won the Cougars’ lone event, the 200 breast, in 2:15.66.

The Sun Devils have two more home meets in the season, against California at 2 p.m. on Jan. 25 and at noon versus Stanford on Jan. 26. The men will be competing in the same meets.

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.

Leonard-Baker opens ASU gymnastics season with two 9.9s

By Scott Mammoser

TEMPE, Ariz. - The Arizona State gymnastics team opened its season with a productive 195 points on Friday to place second of four teams. No. 19 Missouri won the meet with 195.45 points, No. 23 Minnesota was third with 194.150, and Illinois-Chicago was fourth with 193.925.

Sophomore Cairo Leonard-Baker recorded a 9.9 to win the floor, ASU’s highest event on Friday (48.925), and she also scored a 9.9 on the uneven bars. Five Gym Devils recorded 9.8s in the meet, the next highest after Leonard-Baker’s marks.

ASU Opens season with second place finish

“We had some little things to brush off, but all-around, I’m pretty happy about it,” Leonard-Baker said of the year’s initial meet. “There are little form things, like sticking landings. We have the basics down though. Now that we have freshmen, it’s different because there are people looking up to me. I can’t qualify for freshmen awards anymore; I’m competing against sophomores, juniors and seniors. It’s a whole new ball game, but I’m ready for it.”

ASU’s roster posts three freshmen on its roster this year, although none made it into the rotation on Friday: Jasmine Gutierrez, Stephanie Tripodi and Kaitlin Harvey from Mesa’s Desert Ridge High School.

“We have work to do,” ASU coach Jay Santos added. “There were a little jitters and bobbles. We need to be able to finish our routines cleanly, and we’ll be in good shape. We want them to go out there and embrace the moment.”

Lexy Ramler of the Gophers won the all-around with 39.525 points, with a 9.9 on the vault and 9.9 on bars. Missouri’s Britney Ward posted a 9.95 on the balance beam, the highest mark of the competition.

Next, the Gym Devils will be at Texas Woman’s University on Jan. 12 and defending national champion UCLA on Jan. 21. They return home to face Utah at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 26.

Sun Devils to enter Pac-12 season on seven-game winning streak

By Scott Mammoser

TEMPE, Ariz. – The No. 17-ranked Arizona State women’s basketball team wrapped up its non-conference schedule with a 68-52 win over Fresno State to improve to 9-2 on Thursday.

Once again, the senior duo of Courtney Ekmark and Kianna Ibis led the way with 17 and 15 points. Ekmark’s scoring primarily came from downtown, where she was 5-of-14.

Sun Devils win 68-52 over Fresno State, improve to 9-2

“One thing we’re focusing on is our leadership and our team leadership,” Ekmark said. “Our coaches can only do so much. We always talk about having a team-led team, especially going into Pac-12 because it’s only going to get harder from here.”

Ibis was 7-of-15 from the floor, and her five rebounds were second on the team behind Charnea Johnson-Chapman’s eight.

“We’re seniors, so we need to bring that sense of urgency,” Ibis added. “We just need to be as aggressive as we can.”

The Bulldogs (6-4) entered the game scoring 73 points per game with single-digit losses to USC and UCLA. They kept it close, only trailing by one after the first quarter and seven at halftime. ASU outscored them 15-7 in the fourth and used a 21-10 advantage from its deep bench to pull away. Aly Gamez led the Bulldogs with 16 points, and Candice White collected 15 points with nine rebounds.

“I told our team this was going to be a good game before the break,” ASU coach Charli Turner Thorne said. “They have all of their starters back. Different people stepped up, and it’s nice to have other people to step up and do some things, our freshmen stepped up. That’s a luxury we have this year.”

The Pac-12 currently has five teams in the Top 25 and two in the receiving votes category, and Coach Turner Thorne mentioned that she believes it is the nation’s premier league top to bottom and a handful of team could make Final Four runs.

“We just need to keep getting better,” Turner Thorne said of the upcoming part of the season. “We’re not where we need to be in any aspect of our game. It was very odd that we played eight games and didn’t see a possession of zone. Now, we’ve played three-straight games that were almost 90 percent zone (Colorado State, Kansas State and Fresno State). Some of our freshmen were coming along and figuring out stuff, then we needed to shift gears. It was great for us to get the experience.”

The next game for the Sun Devils will be at 5 p.m. on Dec. 30 at Arizona, and the next home contest is at 7 p.m. on Jan. 11 versus No. 8 Stanford. Fresno State has a home game on Dec. 29 against Fresno Pacific before opening the Mountain West Conference schedule on Jan. 2 against San Jose State.

“It’s going to come down to a lot of one-possession games,” Ibis said of the upcoming Pac-12 season, “and we need to work on our keeping possession of the ball.”