(Photo: James Powel/WCSN)
The No.18 Arizona State Women’s Basketball team is heading up to Northern California to face off against the California Golden Bears.
It’s six games into Pac-12 conference play and the Sun Devils are tied for fourth place with No.13 UCLA.
Arizona State currently has a 13-4 overall record and has gone 4-2 in Pac-12 conference play.
Last weekend, the Sun Devils split their two home games defeating Washington State 68-49 and dropped one against the No. 8 ranked Washington Huskies 54-65.
Earlier this month, the Golden Bears were in Tempe and the Sun Devils defeated them in dramatic fashion 72-62 in a double overtime contest. Senior Forwards Sophie Brunner and Quinn Dornstauder combined for 40 points and 22 rebounds.
Cal is coming off a tough lost, getting defeated 63-57 by Utah. The Bears do have a win against a ranked opponent and are 1-2 the top 25.
All season long, Brunner has been leading the Sun Devils putting in 12 .5 points per game and grabbing 7.7 rebounds.
The Sun Devils have had huge contributions from freshman guard Reili Richardson, who is the second leading scorer, averaging 9.7 points per game. In addition, Richardson has dished out 71 assist, the most on the team.
Richardson has even upped her play, averaging 12.3 points during the first six games of Pac-12 play.
ASU has been locking down from beyond the arc, only allowing their opponents to 23.7 percent shooting from deep, which is among the best in the conference.
Sophomore forward Kristine Anigwe and senior guard Courtney Range are the anchors for the Golden Bears. The two combine for almost 36 of the Bears offensive budgets, which is almost half.
As league play has progressed, the Sun Devils have improved their three-point shooting from 29 percent to almost 36 percent.
Although ASU plays stifling defense, they will be going up against a high-powered Golden Bear offense that puts up 75 points per contest.
Cal stared the year at 12-0; however, they have cooled off, as they are only 2-4 during this premature six game stretch of Pac-12 conference play.
The Sun Devils and the Golden Bears will go head-to-head tonight at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, California. The tip off is set for 8 p.m. PT and 9 p.m. MST.
