(Photo via Janaé Bradford/WCSN)
Sunday afternoon, Arizona State Women’s Basketball hoped to bounce back after a blowout loss to Massachusetts on Friday. Instead, the shorthanded Sun Devils found themselves outperformed by Missouri in the final game of the inaugural Briann January Classic.
Although the Sun Devils shot 23 more free throws than the Tigers (9-1) and matched them in three-pointers made, they made 14 fewer field goals overall. ASU just couldn’t seem to develop a consistent offensive rhythm, as they ended up shooting just 29.1% from the field in the 71-60 loss, falling to 6-3 on the season.
It didn’t help that the Sun Devils were without junior guard Jaddan Simmons, who averages 15 points per game and provides strong perimeter defense. ASU also lacked freshman forward Journey Thompson, who put up 11 points and 10 rebounds in the previous game against UMass. ASU Head coach Natasha Adair was, nonetheless, proud of her team’s effort against the Tigers.
“You’re going to learn a lot about me in moral victories. I really don’t celebrate them,” Adair said. “But you also will learn that I will praise my team for competing today. We, of course, were a little shorthanded, but I watched our group respond.”
While the Tigers stepped onto the floor ready to go, the Sun Devils came out freezing cold in the first quarter. ASU ended the quarter shooting 13.3% from the field, which paled in comparison to Missouri’s 53.8%. At one point, ASU went over six minutes without a field goal. Despite the disparities in shooting efficiency, the Tigers ended the quarter with only a five-point advantage that can be attributed to a 6-0 free throw advantage in favor of ASU.
The second quarter was when the Sun Devils played their best. They shot a much-improved 43.8% from the field while holding Missouri to 33.3%. Junior guard Tyi Skinner hit three of her six three-point field goals in the second quarter and finished the game with 29 points, tying her career-high. This was the second time in five days that Skinner reached that benchmark. When asked what adjustments she made after her poor 4-for-19 shooting performance against UMass, Skinner kept it simple.
“I got in the gym,” Skinner said. “We’ve been on the road for a minute, and we got back after a really hard game (against GCU). I rested that day. I should have gotten in the gym, but this time, I got in the gym and just put some shots up.”
The Sun Devils were able to grind their way to a 31-28 lead at the half, holding the Tigers to only one three-point field goal made. However, Missouri came out much more aggressive and cohesive in the second half.
In the first possession of the third quarter, senior guard Lauren Hansen poked the ball away from ASU junior guard Sydney Erikstrup and dove for the loose ball in the backcourt. Hansen gained possession and found senior forward Hayley Frank for the and-one layup. That would be the start of a 7-0 run for the Tigers.
From there, Hansen and Frank would not look back, as they combined to score 31 points in the second half and ended the game with 23 points each. Missouri was able to find open looks in the paint, which led to open looks from outside as well. It didn’t help that Sun Devils’ intensity while defending the perimeter fell off in the second half.
“That was the gameplan, to limit their three-point field goals,” Adair said. “I thought in that second half, we gambled a little bit. We were a little undisciplined on our closeouts and they made you pay.”
While the Tigers found their rhythm, the Sun Devils lost all of the offensive consistency they had gained in the second quarter. Although they, once again, thoroughly outpaced Missouri in free throw attempts – shooting 14 to the Tigers’ one – the Sun Devils only made one field goal throughout the third quarter and were outscored 24-12.
ASU managed to step up its shooting in the fourth, but it was too little too late to make up the double-digit deficit.
With arguably the toughest part of their non-conference schedule behind them, ASU will get some much-needed rest. The Sun Devils’ next game will be against Stephen F. Austin in Texas. It’s their first of just two games over the next 12 days. It is also a welcome change of pace from the last nine days, in which ASU played five games, three of them being on the road.
“We have two non-conference games left, and [the break] will give us time to spend off the court together as we head into the holidays just to continue to grow and be better,” Adair said. “This is an opportunity for our players to grow and learn. Each game we’re getting better. Each game we’re growing. We’re learning about who we are, our strengths, our weaknesses, and this week will help us prepare.”
