(Photo: Dominic Cotroneo/WCSN)
Even with their starters struggling to get going early, Arizona State got the rebound win they need against Colorado after their 14 winning streak was snapped by Oregon State last Sunday.
Though the 68-60 final score wouldn’t indicate it, the 9-10 Buffaloes made it tough for the Sun Devils throughout the entirety of this contest.
CU held Arizona State’s starting five to a combined 13 points in the first, but 17 points off the bench from Quinn Dornstauder and Arnecia Hawkins provided ASU with a seven-point lead at the half.
Colorado made a game of it in the following half, getting within three points of ASU with just two minutes left, forcing 10 Arizona State turnovers in just the second half. The Sun Devils were able to out shoot CU late hitting 59% of their shots while the Buffaloes were only able to knock down 50%.
Player of the Game: Arnecia Hawkins
Although she didn’t take a shot in the second half, Arnecia Hawkins was able to ignite a somber looking ASU offense with a couple of big threes off the bench early on. Her eight points ended up being good enough for fourth on the team, but the first half production was vital to getting the Sun Devils going.
Stat of the Night: CU Second Chance Points
Even though ASU was able to out rebound Colorado 33-31, the Buffaloes were able to get 17 second chance buckets tonight to Arizona State’s 10. CU was relentless under their own basket, out hustling Arizona State for offensive rebounds for most of the 40 minutes. Numbers like this are somewhat expected because of the fast, smaller nature of ASU’s lineup. But it’s still troubling to see the number 11th ranked team in the country get pushed around down low by one of the worst teams in the Pac-12.
Biggest Concern: Foul Trouble
Late in the game Arizona State Promise Amukamara was stuck with four fouls. With that hanging over her she was forced to defend more conservatively than she normally would, allowing Colorado’s Lexy Kresl to keep the Buffs in the game with 11 second half points. Finally Promise was forced to foul Kresl to try stop her from converting on a wide-open layup. The Sun Devils cant afford to have their best defender playing in handcuffs or not playing at all if they hope to continue snuffing out opponents on the defensive end.
