ASU women overcome Brown’s cold start
The Arizona State women’s basketball team needed extra minutes but the wait was worth it. The Sun Devils outlasted Washington 73-66 in double overtime Friday night in Pac-12 play at Desert Financial Arena.
It marked the first sweep of an opponent in the nearly two-year tenure of coach Natasha Adair as the Sun Devils beat the Huskies 73-65 when the teams played in Seattle.
It marked a comeback too as ASU (1114, 3-10) trailed by as many as 14 points. The Sun Devils had the lead for only 19 seconds of regulation. Washington (1311, 3-10) went back ahead 50-48 with 50 seconds left but ASU evened it on a pair of free throws by true freshman Mallory Miller with 15 seconds to play.
ASU led by as many as five in the first overtime but couldn’t gain further separation, something it did in the second overtime. The Sun Devils scored the first nine points, four of those on two buckets by Jalyn Brown, and punctuated by a 3-pointer by Isadora Sousa that made it 69-60. The Sun Devils held on from there.
What went right
Others stepped up: For much of the season it has been the Brown show but she got off to a tough start, so others had to step up and they did. Trayanna Crisp responded with a career-high 23 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Sousa added 16 points, eight rebounds and two steals. Jaddan Simmons chipped in with 10 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block.
Miller came up big: There is always a learning curve for a true freshman, particularly playing in the Pac-12 but Miller has made great progress since the start of the season. She had the clutch free throws at the end of regulation but also had a season-high 10 rebounds as well as three blocks coming off the bench. One of the rebounds came on Washington’s last shot of regulation and prevented the Huskies from getting up a put back.
Rebounding: ASU fnished with a 5451 advantage on the boards and a 42-36 edge on points in the paint. Five players had seven or more, led by Miller with 10.
What went wrong
Brown had a rough night: Brown came in averaging 17.9 points a game but had a rough start. She finished with 16 for the game but was only 8-for-24 from the field, which included an 0-for-9 in the first half.
She was also in foul trouble, picking up her third early in the second quarter and her fourth with 2:33 left in the third quarter. Yet she made some clutch baskets in the extra periods and played without picking up that fifth foul.
Got off to a slow start: The Sun Devils trailed at the half 25-15 and were down by as many as 14 with 4:52 left in the third quarter. They were still in the game though, mostly because of Washington’s insistence at launching from the perimeter. The Huskies were 1-for-14 from 3-point range in the first half.
Three-point shooting: ASU was just 3-for-15 from deep and didn’t make its first until Crisp hit one three minutes into the fourth quarter. Washington shot a similar percentage but attempted more, going 7-for-34.
What to look for next
Bettering last year’s record: The Sun Devils have already bettered both their overall record and Pac-12 record since they were just 8-20 and 1-15 last season. Of the five games they have left on the schedule, three are against nationally ranked teams in Stanford, UCLA and USC. The other two are winnable in Cal and Washington State, and the game against Washington State is at home. If they can win those it would be a much-needed boost and proof that things are headed in a better direction, despite losing their top player to an injury before the season even started.
They said it
“Before the game started we said, ‘team defense, team communication, team toughness, team grit, team discipline and team focus.’ I saw that in every aspect of our team today. We went in at halftime down 10 and we talked about the shots we were taking, I said 80% of the shots they’ve made before, but we said we have to come out in the third and play some defense. They were getting transition baskets. In the third we responded. There were so many big moments where our team grew up, where we showed fight, we showed toughness.”
“It is a big moment and it’s a lot of pressure but it just goes back to being intentional in practice every day and having the mindest that we’re doing this because we want it to happen in a game. Then it comes time to hit two in game and that’s why I’m practicing right now. It’s about keeping steady mind and having that mind set in practice.”
“We all have each other’s back. Even in practice. We know if we trail them we just need to stick together and I feel like that’s what we did today. You saw our communication was on fire today so I think we need to just continue that and keep going.”
Up next
The Sun Devils remain at home for a noon showdown on Sunday against Washington State (15-11, 4-9), a team to whom they lost 79-64 earlier this season in Pullman. Washington State is without its top player Charlisse LegerWalker who is out with a torn ACL and the Cougars have yet to win a game without her.
Washington State lost to Arizona on Friday 64-45.