Seniors lead Sun Devils to easy win over Terriers
After a one-sided loss to No. 5 Maryland, the Arizona State seniors took it upon themselves to do what the team’s young guards aren’t yet ready to do.
“They said, ‘That’s it,’” ASU coach Charli Turner Thorne said. “They’ve always played with veteran guards and they are taking on a lot of responsibility and a lot of new roles. It finally hit them in the face.
“They really hadn’t embraced how much they had to do with this young team, and I think they have embraced it now.”
Like in a win over St. John’s after the Maryland loss, senior posts Quinn Dornstauder and Sophie Brunner led again Saturday in a 71-42 win over Boston University. They combined for 21 points on 9-of-10 shooting as the Sun Devils (4-2) advanced to the championship game of the ASU Classic at 2 p.m. Sunday against No. 19 Florida.
The Gators (6-1) won 83-53 over Long Beach State (3-4), which plays Boston at 11:30 a.m. Sunday. Ronni Williams led Florida with 18 points and 9 rebounds while Tyshara Fleming had a double-double (11 points and 11 rebounds) off the bench.
ASU scored the first six points and never trailed against Boston (1-6). The Sun Devils extended a 20-14 first quarter lead by scoring the first six of the second period. They also had a 9-0 run to start the third quarter, after leading 36-19 at halftime, and scored the first 10 points of the fourth quarter.
Brunner scored all 10 of her points in her first 10 minutes of playing time, then only played six minutes in the second half. Dornstauder had 11 points in 17 minutes. That duo combined for 27 points in a 54-41 win over St. John’s after scoring a just four in an 83-42 loss to Maryland.
“It’s our job to lead the team and bring that sense of urgency and focus and all the intangibles every day so that you model what everyone else should be doing,” Brunner said. “We took that (Maryland) game to heart. That was on us, and from then on out we really made a point to make sure we’re focused and do all the little things so that game never really happens again.”
Sophomore guard Sabrina Haines was ASU’s scoring leader Saturday with 12 points and also had five assists. She lined in a baseline 3-pointer with 2.5 seconds left before halftime, was fouled and made a free throw for a four-point play then hit another baseline 3-pointer in the fourth quarter.
“Sabrina continues to really grow,” Turner Thorne said. “She knows that we need to her to be a stabilizing force and also an energizer. She is growing in that role.”
Of her leadership role with four freshman guards, Haines said: “That’s something I’m working on. Thank god I have the seniors so I just kind of follow what they do. I’m trying to grow up because they’re not going to be here next year, so I’m trying to keep getting better as far as leadership.”
Other than Haines (2-for-4), the Sun Devils were 0-for-9 from 3-point range and shot just 56.5 percent (13-of-23) on free throws. But they led 32-19 in rebounding and scored 30 points off 22 turnovers (four more than ASU).
Eleven players scored for ASU, which had a 31-15 bench scoring edge. Sophomore forward Kianna Ibis had eight points and a game-high five rebounds in 16 minutes. Freshman guard Robbi Ryan also scored eight.