(Photo: Sun Devil Athletics)
The Arizona State Sun Devils look to continue their hot start to the 2014-15 season as they host the UC Davis Aggies in Tempe.
The Sun Devils (6-1) are coming off a 77-42 blowout victory over SMU that was never in doubt. ASU was able to smother the Mustangs with impressive scoring runs, including an 11-0 run and a 30-1 run that blew the game wide open.
UC Davis (4-5) has had a rough start to its season, dropping three of its last four games including an 89-75 loss at San Jose State in its most recent outing. Sydnee Fipps and Alyson Doherty were the sole bright spots of that game, with Fipps netting 22 points and Doherty achieving a double-double.
This is only the third meeting between the two schools, with ASU claiming victories in the first two matchups. The first ever meeting resulted in a 77-56 win in Tempe during UC Davis’ first season at the Division I level in 2007-08, and ASU notched another victory the following season by a score of 73-59.
Keys to the Game:
-Contain Sydnee Fipps
Senior forward Sydnee Fipps is a two-time All-Big West Conference first teamer, largely because of her ability to score from all over the court. So far this season, Fipps leads the Aggies in scoring with 16.8 points per game and is shooting 45% from the field. When asked about the plan to take Fipps out of the game, Coach Charli Turner Thorne simply said, “Promise Amukamara”. If Amukamara can continue to dominate on defense as she has throughout the season, it will be a long night for Fipps.
-Guard the Perimeter
UC Davis is 15th in the nation in three-point shooting at just under 40% from beyond the arc. They have multiple players that can score from long range, including Fipps at 38.2% and fellow Senior Kelsey Harris, who is shooting a red-hot 53.1% from three-point range. The Sun Devils will need to get their hands up and force the Aggies to find points on the inside.
-Bench Points
All five ASU starters are averaging better than 9.0 ppg and shooting better than 40 percent from the field, accounting for 52.7 points per game so far this season, while the bench is averaging just 16.7 points per game this season. In order to really dominate this game, ASU will need to continue to improve upon its bench production.
X-Factor:
Alyson Doherty is averaging 14.8 points per game to go along with 8.0 rebounds per game. She has led the team in scoring in three of their nine games and has proven herself as a major tool in the Aggies’ offense. If Doherty gets it going inside, and attracts help defense it’ll make it near impossible for the Sun Devils to defend the perimeter. It’s essential that Sophie Brunner can at least limit Doherty without a second defender.
Prediction:
UC Davis is one of the weaker opponents on Arizona State’s schedule and despite having some prolific scorers, have not shown the defensive prowess necessary to contend with top Division I schools (the Aggies have allowed 70.8 points per game). If the Sun Devils are able to contain UC Davis’ top scorers and force the Aggies to find buckets inside the arc, they should be able to cruise to a double-digit victory.
Tip-off is 2:30 p.m. at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe.
