(Photo: Eliav Gabay/WCSN)
The Arizona State women’s basketball team showed their mettle in a tough 69-63 comeback win against the 19th ranked Florida Gators Sunday.
The Sun Devils pulled ahead late in a back-and-forth contest to win the ASU Classic and added a huge resume building victory in the process.
The Comeback: ASU showed grit on Sunday. Down 39-51 going into the fourth quarter, the Sun Devils strung together quality possession after quality possession, going 13-14 from the field in the final ten minutes of play.
“We knew had to just keep getting stops,” senior forward Kelsey Moos said. “We had to just keep chipping away the lead and we did that.”
ASU showed energy that came out of nowhere and it made a huge difference confidence wise and on the scoreboard.
“When we start making baskets are team gets all amped up,” sophomore forward Kianna Ibis said. “It definitely gave me a boost.”
Attacking the Zone:
Florida played a 2-3 zone for most of the game and its effect on ASU was mixed.
“They zoned us for most of the game and we struggled with it a little bit in the first half,” Moos said. “We went in at halftime and talked about some adjustments we needed to make like flashing to middle which was open a lot of the game and we started doing that and it paid off.”
Some individual playmakers made their impact known in finding gaps in the Gator’s zone.
“I thought Relli really ran our team well,” head coach Charli Turner Thorne said. “She was about the only one that was getting into gaps and creating shots in the zone. “We did a better job in the fourth quarter just slicing and dicing and getting into the interior, but also think we just wore them out.”
Second Chance Points:
The Sun Devils collected a total of 19 offensive rebounds and as a result scored 16 second chance points.
“It was huge,” Moos said. “It was one of the main reasons we won that game, getting those and making the high percentage shots in the paint.”
The active play on the glass by the post players was critical in the Sun Devil’s success.
“That’s staying with things,” Turner Thorne said. “Our big focus this week was rebounding. We worked on it all week and I thought it showed up today.”
Senior Play:
Senior center Quinn Dornstauder, senior forward Sophie Brunner and Moos combined for 37 points on 16-27 shooting, leading the charge for the Sun Devils.
“I thought our seniors lead the way,” Turner Thorne said. “I thought they did an amazing job.”
The trio carried the team throughout the entire game, looking confident and poised.
Miscues:
Missed free throws came into play late into the game. The Sun Devils went 11-24 from the line, a mark Turner Thorne certainly wasn’t happy with.
“I think we’re just off to a slow start,” Turner Thorne said. “There’s a few players I feel like I need to talk to a little about their hands on the ball, but we make our free throws outside of games.
Looking Ahead:
The Sun Devils begin a two game road trip as they take on Kentucky in Lexington on Sunday and follow that with a visit to Middle Tennessee State.
