(Photo: Tyler Rittenhouse/ WCSN)
In their first game back from the holiday break, the then No. 17 Arizona State Sun Devils opened Pac-12 play with a loss to their archrival, the Arizona Wildcats, 51-39.
Arizona State shot 23 percent from the field while going 4-23 from beyond the arc. Guards Robbi Ryan and Courtney Ekmark struggled, scoring a combined six points on 2-18 shooting from the field. The Sun Devils fell to 9-3 on the season and 0-1 in Pac-12 play. Inconsistent shooting has been an ongoing struggle for Arizona State throughout the season.
In November, the Sun Devils played against then No. 4 Baylor and No. 5 Louisville. Against Baylor, Arizona State led 35-24 at halftime. During the second half, ASU went cold, shooting just 22 percent from the field. The Bears outscored the Sun Devils by 17 in the second half, leading to a 65-59 Baylor victory.
Inconsistent play and missed opportunities hurt the veteran squad down the stretch as their lead slowly disappeared.
Against Louisville, ASU led by four going into the fourth quarter, but ASU struggled to close the game, with outside scoring threat Courtney Ekmark going scoreless in the second half.
It was no different on Saturday night as Arizona State scored a season low 20 points in the first half. They only scored two second chance points, even while grabbing 17 offensive rebounds to the Wildcats’ three.
Despite the erratic shooting, the Sun Devils have maintained a strong defensive effort throughout the season. ASU came into Saturday night’s game only giving up 50.2 points per game. But as Arizona State begins Pac-12 play, they will need to become more consistent on the offensive end of the court.
Arizona State will continue Pac-12 play on the road this week as they face Utah on Jan. 4th and Colorado on Jan. 6th.
