TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT
Turner Thorne irked after team is swept
Arizona State guard Kiara Russell (4) pressures Oregon State guard Mikayla Pivec (0) during a Pac-12 game at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe on Sunday. The Sun Devils lost 64-60.
NO. 12 OREGON STATE 64, ASU WOMEN 60
ASU women’s basketball coach Charli Turner Thorne had strong words for her young team after the Sun Devils blew a 10-point halftime lead to No. 12 Oregon State and lost 64-60, sealing a sweep by the Oregon schools in Tempe, on Sunday.
“We don’t lose two at home,” she said. “This is not our program. This will never happen again in their careers. They need to hold onto this that this is not okay.”
Turner Thorne understands ASU is young. She said she’s “proud of their effort” that held Oregon State to 22 halftime points and forced 15 turnovers.
ASU’s early lead came in large part to the first-half defense against Oregon State star center Marie Gulich.
In the third quarter, Gulich scored 16 points and made all seven shots. The Sun Devils scored 11 on 5-of-15 shooting as Oregon State outscored them 23-11 in the quarter.
Gulich finished the game with 36 points on 16-of-18 shooting without a missed shot in the second half.
“They ran their playbook that we knew,” Turner Thorne said. “And we didn’t defend it the way we needed to.”
ASU faces Arizona in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament in Seattle on Thursday.