(Photo: Brooke Faber/WCSN)
In the true final home game of the season, Arizona State will play the University of Arkansas-Little Rock in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The eleven seed UALR Trojans are coming off of a 69-60 upset over 6 seed Texas A&M in the first round on Saturday, and hope to keep that train rolling against third seed ASU. An amazing performance from senior guard Taylor Gault, who had 25 points and four assists, handed UALR their upset over TAMU. This isn’t Gault’s first time coming up big, though.
“She’s done it over and over.” UALR Head Coach Joe Foley told reporters after the game on Saturday, “But under this situation and the game we’re in today, the pressure, I mean she’s got ice in her veins, it’s unbelievable what she does.”
UALR will need another big game from Gault if they’re to keep up with the Sun Devils. The Sun Devils did more than take care of business against Ohio, winning 74-55; they had their first complete game in a long while. Arizona State shot 56% from the field and forced plenty of turnovers, something that should continue tonight against UALR if they expect to move on to the third round of the tournament.
Keys to the Game:
-Watch the Motion
UALR runs a motion heavy offense, and they run it well. ASU is no stranger to motion, most recently seeing it against Ohio, but UALR will continue to screen even if the original screens in a possession didn’t work, and they move a lot faster on offense. The help side defense will have to be sharp, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Sun Devils tried out some zone to counterattack UALR’s offense, even though they seem more comfortable in man.
-Rebounding and Second Chance Points
ASU had 31 rebounds against Ohio on Saturday, which may seem like a decent amount but when you take in to account that Ohio also had 31 rebounds, and only eight of ASU’s 31 rebounds were on offense, the number doesn’t seem as impressive. Second chance points is one of the most underrated stats in sports, and can really help a team pull away. Each time ASU extends its possession, it keeps the ball out of Taylor Gault’s hands and instead it gives Katie Hempen another opportunity to sink a three or Sophie Brunner to bank in the put-back.
-Less Turnovers
ASU had 17 turnovers against Ohio, well above their average of 14. The Sun Devils need to take care of the ball and be careful with their passes. Elisha Davis is a dime machine, but sometimes she can be a little overzealous when trying to anticipate where her teammates are going to be. She’s definitely gotten better at it as the season has progressed, but it’s something to keep an eye on for the rest of the tournament.
Tip-off for ASU and UALR is today at 6 p.m. MST at Wells Fargo Arena.
