Douglas equalizes in 75th minute, as ASU draws with CSUN

By Scott Mammoser

TEMPE, Ariz. – After several missed chances, Nicole Douglas scored on a penalty kick in the 75^th minute to bring the Arizona State soccer team to a 1-1 tie with CSUN (California State University at Northridge) on Friday. Sun Devils forward Marleen Schimmer was taken down on a breakaway, paving the way for the English sophomore Douglas to take the free kick.

“I just got to put this in the back of the net,” Douglas said of what she was thinking during the free kick. “It meant so much to me and the team that I needed to score. I try not to look at the keeper.”

ASU ties 1-1 with CSUN

The Matadors opened the scoring in the 48^th minute, when Kacie Garrity sailed her first goal of the season over ASU goalkeeper Giulia Cascapera. Just minutes later, CSUN has another great opportunity, when Alexis White stole the ball in the crease, but Bethany Fitzsimmons could not control the pass for a shot. The Sun Devils had a chance to win it in the 88^th minute, when Taylor Culver set up Schimmer, but her blast went high over the net. In total, ASU outshot CSUN 22-7, with Amanda Delgado making five saves for the Matadors, and controlled for 63 percent of the possessions.

“I’m happy with the performance,” ASU coach Graham Winkworth said. “We controlled the front to back, and we had the sense of urgency to win the game, rather than get the point. Once we equalized, I thought there was only one team trying to win the game. We need to be more clinical in front of the goal. We’re in a good place and playing some decent soccer.”

The Sun Devils (6-2-1) open the Pac-12 Conference schedule at 2 p.m. next Friday, Sept. 27, hosting Utah. CSUN (5-1-3) is at Grand Canyon at 1 p.m. on Sunday and plays games at home against Pepperdine and Denver before opening the Big West season on Oct. 3 in Hawaii.

Mercury’s regular season ends with loss to Aces

By Scott Mammoser

PHOENIX – Over the past few seasons, the Phoenix Mercury has been at its best during the first two single elimination rounds of the playoffs, and after a 98-89 loss to the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday, the team can now focus on that.

The Mercury (15-19) was already locked into the eight seed before the game, while the Aces (21-13) were tied with Chicago for the fourth seed and final first round bye. As the No.1 Washington Mystics beat the Sky, 100-86, Phoenix heads to Chicago (20-14) for the first round game on Wednesday night.

Brittney Griner was a beast in the first quarter, with 13 points and the shot with the clock expiring that gave the Mercury a 27-25 lead to conclude the period. Scoreless and limited to three minutes in the second with foul trouble, Griner added 10 more points in the third, as the Mercury cut a 27-21 halftime deficit to 76-75. Liz Cambage, who was on an exercise bike during the first half, recorded 11 of her 21 points in the third quarter for the Aces.

“The effort was definitely there,” Griner said. “We couldn’t get the win, but it’s a good game for us to go into the playoffs. Whoever steps on that court, we know we need to beat them.”

DeWanna Bonner, who scored 14 points with eight rebounds, sent the Mercury to an 89-87 lead from the free throw line with three minutes on the clock, but those would be the final baskets for Phoenix, as the Aces cruised to an 11-0 run to finish and won 98-89.

“We had consistent effort tonight for most of the game,” Mercury coach Sandy Brondello said, “and I was happy with that, but not the result. Briann January:  a really great offensive game for her (14 points). We know she’s great defensively, but she made good decisions with the ball. I thought for the most part, we did a pretty good job today.”

After playing for five consecutive games, Diana Taurasi was out of the lineup for the second time this weekend with a hamstring injury, although Coach Brondello said she might be back for the playoff game on Wednesday. Griner also added that Taurasi being on the bench was an advantage with her knowledge of the game.

A’ja Wilson scored 20 points for the Aces, while Dearica Hamby (12) and Kelsey Plum (10) also scored in double figures. The Mercury is 6-0 in the first two rounds since the league instituted the single elimination playoff format in 2016, including 4-0 on the road. Chicago was 3-0 versus the Mercury this season, with wins of seven points, eight points, and most recently, 105-78 on Sept. 1.

Zendejas' Perfect Night Leads Devils to Victory

Mike Stockman

TEMPE, AZ - The Arizona State University Sun Devils hosted the Sacramento Hornets for the second game of the season. This was the second meeting between the Devils and the Hornets. In the first meeting in 2013, the temperature was 107 degrees at kickoff. The Devils won that game 55-0. At game time this year, the temperature was 104 degrees and the humidity was 21%. The Devils were able to fight through the heat and defeat the Hornets for the second win of the season by a score of 19-7 at Sun Devil Stadium on Friday, September 6, 2019.  

Zendejas scored 13 of 19 points for the Devils

After Jayden Daniels' first pass of the game goes for 24 yards, the Hornets defense stop the Devils, forcing a punt. Michael Turk's first punt goes for 44 yards, putting the Hornets inside their 8 yard line.

Turk's second punt puts Hornets inside the eight yard line for second time in the game.
The third punt goes out at the 12 yard line. Turk finished the first half with a total of four punts averaging over 45 yards per punt. Turk's final punt of the night was 57 yards, bumping his average for the game to 47.6 yards.

After a scoreless first quarter, the Devils threatened to score when Brandon Aiyuk took a punt 38 yards to the Hornets' 10 yard line. After a couple of downs, the Devils fumbled the ball into the end zone giving the Hornets the ball back at their 20 keeping the score 0-0.

With less than 2 minutes left in the half, the Devils Christian Zendejas hit a 36 yard field goal giving the Devils a 3-0 lead.

At the half, the Devils had 78 total yards offense to the Hornets 131 total yards.

With 9:16 left in the third quarter, Zendejas kicked a 26 yard field goal putting the Devils up 6-0 over the Hornets.

After the Devils got a 68 yard touchdown reception called back for a blindside block, they settled for a Zendejas 35 yard field goal, giving the Devils a 9-0 lead with less than five minutes left in the third quarter.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Zendejas kicked his fourth field goal of the night, making the score 12-0.

With less than seven minutes left in the game, the Hornets get on the scoreboard from nine yards out when quarterback Kevin Thomson hit Tao McClinton over the middle. The score was set up by a previous play in which a blown coverage gave the Hornets a 40 yard reception to the Devils 9 yard line.

On the next series, Eno Benjamin scored on a 72 yard reception from Daniels bumping the score to 19-7 with 4:42 left on the clock. The extra point was good, giving Zendejas 13 points on the night.

Eno Benjamin scores on 72 yard reception

The Devils finished the game with 395 total yards offense to the Hornets' 305 total yards.

The Hornets (1-1) travel home to host Northern Colorado on September 14 at 6 p.m.

The Devils (2-0) travel to East Lansing to take on Michigan State Saturday, September 14 at 1 p.m. The game will be televised on Fox.

Devils Win Opener Behind True Freshman Quarterback and Punter

Mike Stockman

Daniels led Devils to first win of season.

TEMPE, AZ - (August 29, 2019) The Arizona State University Sun Devils started the 150th college season with a victory over the Kent State Golden Flashes by a score of 30-7 on a blistering 102 degree evening at Sun Devil Stadium.

For the first time in Devils' football history, a true freshman started at quarterback on opening day.  Jaylen Daniels, a freshman from San Bernadino, CA, is also the first freshman in team history named as a team captain.

Daniels performance on the night was as expected from a Preseason Freshman All-American earning him the title of Freshman of the Week as well as Pac-12 Player of the Week. He completed 15 of 24 passes for 284 yards, two touchdowns with no interceptions, and one rushing touchdown.

Another Pac-12 Player of the Week was the Devils' sophomore punter Michael Turk, from Dallas, Texas. Turk averaged 63 yards on five punts, which set  an NCAA, Pac-12, and ASU record for the highest average yards per punt in a game with a minimum of five punts.  This broke a record previously held by a Texas A&M Aggie named Braden Mann which was set in the 2018 season. On the longest punt of the night, a 75 yard boot, Turk tied for the seventh longest punt in ASU history.

Zendejas is perfect in college debut

Kicker Christian Zendejas, a sophomore from Chandler, AZ, started his college kicking career going 3/3 on field goals and 3/3 on extra point attempts, scoring 12 points for the Devils. The longest field goal of the night was good for 40 yards.

Other notable players included Brandon Aiyuk, a senior wide receiver from Rocklin, CA and Eno  Benjamin, a junior running back from Wylie, Texas.

Benjamin scored in the first quarter on an eight yard touchdown pass he caught from Daniels. This was Daniels first TD pass at ASU. Benjamin racked up 102 yards rushing on 22 carries and 32 yards receiving on three catches.

Aiyuk scored on a 77 yard touchdown pass from Daniels in the third quarter which was the longest TD reception of his college career at ASU. He finished the night with 4 catches, totaling 140 yards and one touchdown.

The Devil defense kept the Golden Flashes to 200 yards total offense, led by Khaylan Thomas' 1.5 sacks.

The Golden Flashes did not go home empty handed.  In the fourth quarter, Woody Barret, a junior quarterback from Orlando, FL, placed a perfect, over the shoulder pass into the hands of Isaiah McKoy, a sophomore receiver from Brooklyn, NY, for a 21 yard touchdown.

The Golden Flashes, who haven't won an opening game since 2013, host Kennesaw State on Sep 7, at DIX Stadium in Kent, Ohio. Game time is 12pm and will be covered on ESPN3.

The Devils host Sacremento State on Friday Sep 6 at 7pm. The game will be covered by Pac-12 Network.

Taurasi returns to the lineup, but Sky outlasts Mercury

By Scott Mammoser

PHOENIX – The Phoenix Mercury welcomed back Diana Taurasi on Sunday, but the Chicago Sky erased a 10-point deficit and used a 28-15 third quarter run to win, 94-86. Brittney Griner, the league’s scoring leader, recorded a season-best 34 points, four off her career high for Phoenix, which fell to 13-15 and still holding onto the final playoff spot in the WNBA. The Sky improved to 18-11, with Allie Quigley leading the way with 24 points.

After undergoing back surgery this spring, Taurasi appeared in 16 minutes of the July 12^th game at Connecticut, scoring five points. Sunday, she recorded 12 points in 22 minutes, although she was 2-of-13 shooting.

Mercury is still holding on for spot in playoff

“You forget how physically and mentally draining they are,” Taurasi said of her injuries, “when you are constantly rehabbing and constantly in pain. I need to get better if we have any chance of competing. It’s good to be on the floor, but overall, a pretty (poor) game for myself. I need to play better, whether I haven’t played or not.”

 Sancho Lyttle was also appearing in her first game for the Mercury since the same July 12^th game, in which she injured her knee. Lyttle missed the second half of the 2018 season with a torn ACL.

“It felt great to play again,” Lyttle said, “but you always feel bad when you lose your first game back. I don’t feel like I missed anything really. I wasn’t that tired, I didn’t play much minutes, but it could have been worse. We have a full team now, so we will go from here.”

In addition, DeWanna Bonner recorded a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Mercury. Courtney Vandersloot, the WNBA leader in assists, dished out 13 for Chicago. Diamond DeShields scored 18 points, and two Sky players posted double-doubles, with Cheyenne Parker notching 14 and 12, plus Astou Ndour 13 and 10.

“Even though the result isn’t what we wanted, it’s great to see Diana back on the court today,” Mercury coach Sandy Brondello added. “The more games we play, the better she will get. It’s good she came back now, with six games to go, so she can get back into her rhythm.” 

The Mercury will next play three games on the road, at New York, Atlanta and Chicago, each two days apart, beginning on Aug. 27. The team returns home for three games to conclude the regular season, the first on Sept. 3 against Seattle, the latter two versus Minnesota and Las Vegas. Those will be the only appearances for the Storm and Lynx in Phoenix this season. The Sky next plays at the Lynx on Aug. 27.

Mystics are no problem for Griner and shorthanded Mercury

By Scott Mammoser

PHOENIX - What was left of the Phoenix Mercury surprised the Washington Mystics in a 103-82 runaway victory on Sunday. The Mercury’s injury list is composed of a group that could form a sufficient starting five. Diana Taurasi is still out with her back injury and is now joined in street clothes on the bench with Sancho Lyttle (knee), Alanna Smith (ankle), Essence Carson (calf), and Briann January (foot).

Mercury defeat Mystics in runaway victory 103-82

Phoenix still had the WNBA’s scoring leader healthy as ever though. Brittney Griner opened the game with a first quarter for the ages, shooting 7-of-8 for 17 points, as the Mercury grabbed a 28-23 lead of which it never lost control. She ended with 26 points, nine rebounds and a game-high eight assists from the post.

“We knew we had to pick it up,” Griner said. “All of the stuff we have going on, playing with our pain, we need to put it all out there.”

Leilani Mitchell and Yvonne Turner combined to shoot 9-of-15 from downtown for 23 and 22 points, the latter being Turner’s career best. The Mystics (14-7) had won five straight, including a six-point win over the Mercury (11-10) in Washington last week, and were just about deadlocked with Connecticut for first place in the Eastern Conference.

“We’ve been really focused this week in practice,” Mercury coach Sandy Brondello said. “It’s attention to detail and executing what we want. We have athleticism. We had tough losses to them, but it was close. Everyone knows that we are going to play, it’s not that we want to play with seven for the rest of the year.”

Elena Delle Donne and Emma Meesseman equaled one another for the Mystics’ lead in scoring with 18 points. The Belgian, Meesseman, came off the bench and recorded all of hers in 16 minutes on 8-of-12 shooting. Griner, DeWanna Bonner (who scored 10 on Sunday) and Delle Donne are the top three in the league in scoring. Kristi Toliver also recorded 12 points for the Mystics, while rookie Brianna Turner scored 12 in a starting role with Phoenix.

The Mercury brought back rookie guard Arica Carter to compensate for the injuries. Carter, from the University of Louisville, was waived after the second game of the season.

“Everybody is welcoming me back with open arms,” Carter said. “I’ve been at home (in Los Angeles) working out and trying to stay ready. I just want to do whatever the team needs me to do and keep learning.”

The Mercury will be at the Sparks on Aug. 8, before returning home to face the Dallas Wings at 7 p.m. on Aug. 10. The Mystics are at home against the Fever on Aug. 8.

Nurse and Charles come up big in Liberty’s win over Mercury

By Scott Mammoser

PHOENIX – Tina Charles pulled in a double-double of 23 points and 12 rebounds, and Kia Nurse scored 26 points, as the New York Liberty returned to .500 at 7-7 after Friday’s 80-76 win at the Phoenix Mercury (5-6). Brittney Griner led the Mercury with 30 points and eight rebounds, while Leilani Mitchell added 14 points.

“That was not our best game,” Mercury coach Sandy Brondello said. “BG (Griner) was fantastic, but we just didn’t have enough contributors tonight. We didn’t execute as well as we wanted to, and that’s what happens when you’re not ready to play. That’s the greatness of the WNBA; anybody can beat anybody.”

The Mercury went up by as much as 17-4 in the first quarter, but the short-benched Liberty soon found the bottom of the basket.

Nurse knotted the game at 36-36, with 1:35 remaining in the first half. Essence Carson responded with a three for the Mercury, but Nurse answered with one of her own on the other end. Phoenix led 41-40 at the break, with Griner recording 10 of her points in the second.

Charles gave New York its first lead shortly after halftime, and the third quarter was a tightly-contested affair. Again, the Mercury led by one, 64-63, after the period, although Charles scored nine. The Liberty outscored Phoenix 17-12 in the fourth, with Reshanda Gray and Brittany Boyd, the former Cal stars, making big plays in the final minute.

The Liberty had four players missing from its lineup, who were playing in EuroBasket, as opposed to Phoenix’s one – Yvonne Turner. Turner’s Hungarian team plays Belgium on Saturday with the winner earning a spot in next year’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

Sophie Cunningham started the first game of her WNBA career for the Mercury and notched personal bests in rebounds and assists of six and three. Brondello said Cunningham started because Carson’s back was bothering her.

“I’m just going to stay ready,” said Cunningham, who had 12 family members from Missouri in the audience. “I’m very lucky to have them here, for my first career start; I had no idea that I would have that.”

The Mercury’s next game is at 3 p.m. on Sunday versus Atlanta, while New York will play Las Vegas at home, the same time.