(Photo via Max Zepeda/WCSN)
Hoping to rebound from a three-game losing skid, Arizona State Women’s Basketball returned home to Desert Financial Arena Saturday for their final game before starting Pac-12 play.
Ending non-conference play on a high note, the Sun Devils (7-4) played a complete 40 minutes to defeat Prairie View A&M (3-7) 82-67, thanks to a career performance from sophomore forward Meg Newman.
Newman ended with 18 rebounds, which were the most in a game by a Sun Devil since Ja’Tavia Chapley in 2019 against BYU. In total, ASU finished the night with 50 rebounds, 21 being offensive.
It was a sluggish start offensively for the Sun Devils and quite the opposite for the Panthers. Prairie View shot 22.5% better from the field than the Sun Devils in the first quarter. However, ASU stayed in the game due to their high-energy defense and rebounding spearheaded by Newman.
After graduate center Kayla Mokwuah got picked up two quick fouls in the first quarter, Newman stepped onto the floor just 1:14 into the game and dominated.
In the second quarter alone, the forward totaled eight points on 4-for-4 shooting, seven rebounds, and a block. She ended the game with 12 points, 18 rebounds, six offensive rebounds, one block and one steal.
Newman, who is coming off a freshman season in which she missed the entirety due to knee surgery, said she finally felt unleashed this game.
“Coming off of this injury, they’ve really done a great job trying to be smart with me and figuring out my body,” Newman said. “It was fun to be out there that much… I’ve always kind of been a bit of a daredevil, and I didn’t miss that when I had knee surgery, apparently.”
Newman’s energy was contagious and allowed the Sun Devils to shut down the Panthers, as ASU outscored them 63-36 from the second quarter onward. The Sun Devils also forced the Panthers into 17 turnovers and outrebounded them 50-33.
“We had a phenomenal week of prep,” ASU head coach Natasha Adair said. “We said this was our final exam. We talked about defense. We talked about rebounding. We talked about the extra effort plays and doing whatever it takes but doing it together… Everything that we worked on, everything that we talked about, our players executed beautifully.”
With Newman’s stellar play keeping the Sun Devils competitive, other players, such as junior guard Treasure Hunt, were able to find their rhythm. Throughout the season, Hunt has struggled with her shot, shooting just 28.4% from the field and 13.5% from beyond the arc. However, against the Panthers, she overcame the slump, ending with a career-high 22 points on 7-14 shooting.
“It was really just my teammates and coaches telling me to trust my shot, that they will fall. They’ll go in, so that’s all I did,” Hunt said.
Despite non-conference play ending with its fair share of highs and lows for the Sun Devils, they now carry a winning record into conference play. ASU will begin its Pac-12 slate with a much-anticipated matchup against in-state rival Arizona in Tucson on Dec. 29.
Now that the Sun Devils are getting healthier and continuing to develop chemistry, Adair is more confident in her team than ever.
“What makes it so exciting is the players that I have with me,” Adair said. “I’ll go to war with them any day, anytime. It doesn’t matter who. It doesn’t matter where. As long as we are prepared and we play hard for 40 (minutes), we will put ourselves in a position to win against anyone, so I’m really excited.”
