Sun Devils not satisfied with season-opening rout
No. 23 Arizona State women’s basketball expected to win big in their season opener Tuesday night and did so, 81-43 over Incarnate Word.
What mattered, though, with No. 4 Baylor coming up Sunday was the quality of play, and on that front, neither coach Charli Turner Thorne nor her players were happy.
“Our locker room was very somber,” Turner Thorne said. “We took this almost as a loss because we didn’t feel like we worked hard enough.
“We have a really high standard. We’re training to be an elite team.”
With 19 turnovers and ragged play particularly in the first quarter, ASU did not look ready for its nationally televised challenge coming up in five days.
Incarnate Word, a five-win team last season, is not capable of making the Sun Devils pay for their mistakes like Baylor will do. The Cardinals committed 16 turnovers, shot just 25.8 percent overall and were 3-of-17 from 3-point.
“I’d say it’s good we got this game out of the way before we play Baylor,” senior guard Courtney Ekmark said. “Our team was a little excited and we had some nerves. We just need to learn to channel that into our defense more and really play harder because that’s what we’re known for and really didn’t do that tonight.”
Late start
The game started 40 minutes late at Wells Fargo Arena due to the ASU men going into double overtime in the first game. It finished at nearly 11 p.m.
“I think they stretched four times before this game started,” Turner Thorne. “But it’s good. We had adversity in our Nebraska scrimmage, we got in at 2:30 a.m., band playing as loud as they could at 8 a.m. in the hotel lobby. This is all going to help us be a little bit tougher.”
The Sun Devils started slow, shooting just 5-of-17 in the first quarter and leading 14-7.
They did not hit their first 3-pointer until 6:45 in the second quarter and led just 20-14 before the flip switched. Freshman guard Taya Hanson hit 3pointers to start and finish a 13-0 run and Courtney Ekmark made a 3-pointer to close the half with ASU up 40-20.
Hanson and 2017-18 scoring leader Kianna Ibis, scoreless in the first half, had seven points apiece at the half.
ASU steadily built its lead as high as 40 in the second half, finishing with 44.6 percent shooting, going 10-of-28 from 3-point and winning 58-34 on the boards.
“They played through us at times,” Turner Thorne said. “We need to be more physical and hit first. Even that number (58) could have been better to be honest. Some of those shots were hard to rebound, I will give my team a little bit of slack on that. But at halftime, we weren’t happy with the physicality.”
Freshmen show good glimpses
Junior forward Jamie Ruden, who had back surgery in the offseason and ankle injuries during the preseason, led ASU with 15 points in 11 minutes.
Hanson finished with 14, Ekmark 12 and Ibis 11 with seven rebounds. Freshman forward Jayde Van Hyfte also had seven points and seven boards.
ASU used the same starting lineup as last season – Reili Richardson, Robbi Ryan, Ekmark, Ibis and Charnea Johnson-Chapman – and used 13 players. Freshman guard Jamie Loera is out while recovering from a recent illness.
“I thought all three freshman that played had great moments and they’re only going to get better every day and more consistent,” Turner Thorne said. “They’re very talented, and they have good toughness. Jayde and Taya just crushed conditioning from day They’re special.”
Freshman guard Iris Mbulito of Spain had four assists in her debut, throwing some no-look passes. Hanson took all of her shots from 3-point, hitting 4-of-9. Six of Van Hyfte’s rebounds were offensive.
“First game playing D-I for ASU is such an amazing opportunity, I’m so thankful to be here,” Hanson said. “It’s overwhelming and nerve-wracking at the start. I did have some nerves, but just having a game under my belt, I definitely feel more confident going into this season. But there’s a lot of things I need to improve on and as a team we need to capitalize on especially going into Baylor.”
Up next
one.
ASU meets No. 4 Baylor (1-0) at 5:30 p.m. Sunday in an ESPN2 game in Fort Defiance. The Bears opened Tuesday with a 100-39 win over Nicholls State and play Saint Francis (Pa.) on Thursday before the Showdown on the Rez vs. ASU.