(Photo: Tyler Rittenhouse/WCSN)
The No. 22 Arizona State Sun Devils (2-1) passed their first true road test of the season, defeating the Arkansas Razorbacks (2-1) in Fayetteville, 88-85.
Charli Turner Thorne’s squad held a comfortable lead for a significant portion of the game, but a late run from the Razorbacks cut the Sun Devils margin of victory to just three points.
A year after the Sun Devils thumped Arkansas in Tempe to the tune of a 46-point victory, former Washington head coach Mike Neighbors and the Razorbacks tested the Devils on the road.
The Razorbacks were able to control the style of Sunday night’s contest, creating an up-and-down style of play consisting of fast-breaks and quick shots.
Despite Arkansas junior guard Alexis Tolefree’s 22-point performance, the Sun Devils were able to outscore their SEC opponents and shoot a better percentage from the floor.
Arizona State was led by senior forward Kianna Ibis, who tallied a team-high 20 points on 9-14 shooting from the floor.
After being battered and bruised in the paint a week ago against the No. 4 Baylor Bears, the Sun Devils outrebounded the Razorbacks 43-35, outplaying the Hogs on the offensive and defensive glass to gain an advantage on the road.
The biggest difference in the box score showed up in the bench production. With one of the deepest benches in the country, the Sun Devil reserves shined Sunday evening, outscoring the Razorbacks bench 42-11.
Freshman guard Iris Mbulito scored 13 points off the bench for the Devils to lead the second-unit’s offensive production.
Unlike their previous two games, the Sun Devils did not rely upon the three-point ball for their offense, instead using their height advantage against the Hogs to score 44 points in the paint.
The Sun Devils will travel to Las Vegas for a neutral-site matchup against No. 5 Louisville Friday Nov. 23 at 3:30 p.m. Arizona State’s matchup with the Cardinals will be their second Top-10 opponent of the season. In their first matchup of that magnitude, the Sun Devils lost to No. 4 Baylor, 65-59.
