(Photo Credit: Brooke Faber/WCSN)
The Arizona State women’s basketball team (1-0) will take on Cal State Bakersfield (2-0) Wednesday night. The Sun Devils are coming off a convincing 81-67 victory over a formidable Middle Tennessee State team on opening night. ASU led the entirety of the game and look to carry that momentum over into this one.
CSU Bakersfield opened the season with a big win of their own against the Air Force Academy, defeating the Falcons by a score of 96-56. The Roadrunners then traveled to Tucson on Monday night where they beat the Arizona Wildcats 76-72. Having already beaten a PAC-12 opponent CSU Bakersfield could prove to be an interesting test for Coach Charli Turner Thorne’s Sun Devils.
Keys to the Game:
-Feed Sophie Brunner
Brunner was extremely impressive on opening night, scoring 20 points and bringing down 12 rebounds for her first double-double of the season. If Arizona State can continue to get her involved on offense, it should have no problem finding buckets on the inside.
-Crash the Boards
Despite playing stout defense against Middle Tennessee State, the Lady Raiders were able to grab entirely too many offensive rebounds which led to second-chance opportunities. The Sun Devils will need to be more physical when boxing out in order to ensure a victory.
-Contain Tyonna Outland
Through two games thus far this season, senior guard Tyonna Outland is averaging an impressive 26.5 points per game, more than double the scoring totals of any of her teammates. Arizona State will need to lock down on Outland and force CSU Bakersfield to find other ways to score. Expect the Amukamara sisters to spend a lot of the night chasing Outland all over the court.
X-Factor:
The X-factor for the game against Cal State Bakersfield is junior guard Katie Hempen. Hempen exhibited her ability to hit from beyond the arc against MTSU, and will attempt to knock down a few more against CSU Bakersfield. If Hempen can find her stroke, it could be a long night for the Roadrunners.
Prediction:
The Roadrunners have shown promise in their first two games of the season, but they have a lot more to prove before they can demand the respect of a top PAC-12 school. I predict a relatively smooth, double-digit victory for Arizona State in Tempe.
