(Photo: Misha Jones/WCSN)
The Sun Devils played scrappy and fought hard to the end, but they fell short to No. 9 UCLA on Sunday, 63-59.
After struggling in the first quarter, ASU was able to shake off a mentally and physically draining week to make this a competitive and intense game, one in which they were in position to win down the stretch.
Despite the loss, head coach Charli Turner Thorne commended the team’s fight and effort against a top Pac-12 team.
“I was really proud of our team, to have the fight that they had, to work through when they didn’t have their best stuff … it’s exciting to see how good this team can be,” Turner Thorne said.
Similar to their previous game against USC, the Sun Devils did not execute well in the first quarter. Frustration mounted as the team kept committing costly fouls and not finding quality shots, resulting in UCLA being up by 13 at one point. The anger peaked when Turner Thorne was called for a technical foul three minutes into the game.
“I do not like getting technical fouls and I should have got one,” Turner Thorne said. “I respect the officials and they’re doing the best they can, but I am going to have my team’s back.”
The lead for UCLA grew to 17 early in the second quarter, and the game was in danger of becoming a blowout. However, once more, the Sun Devils weren’t afraid of a talented team and kept battling. They went on a 14-2 run to cut the lead to five, putting them in great position for the second half.
“We just continued to be aggressive and just keep our hands up and limit all those fouls,” sophomore Eboni Walker said. “Basketball’s a big mental sport, so whoever has the heart, the mentality and who’s just willing to work hard is usually the ones that win the game.”
ASU would outscore the Bruins 21-12 in the third quarter and used a 7-0 run at the end to tie the game at 47. They had a balanced scoring attack, with five players scoring at least eight points and Walker leading the way with 12 points.
The fourth quarter would become much of a dogfight with the physicality and intensity amping up. ASU received a good lift off the bench from Sydnei Caldwell, who finished with eight points and four assists.
It wasn’t until late in the game that eventually the Sun Devils started to crumble. UCLA’s Lindsey Corsaro hit three consecutive clutch three-pointers to take back the lead. With under 20 seconds left, ASU went to freshman guard Maggie Besselink, who made her collegiate debut after an injury kept her out of the first week.
Besselink stepped out of bounds while trying to drive along the baseline, and the Bruins were able to seal the victory at the free throw line.
Corsaro and guard Charisma Osborne led the Bruins with 14 points each.
Besselink fought off first-game nerves to play quality minutes and lead the team in rebounds.
“Of course there’s going to be jitters, but my team really talked me through everything and I felt very confident in what they were saying,” Besselink said.
Turner Thorne commended Besselink, saying she “had an amazing first outing for a kid that’s been out three months and practiced like 20 minutes.”
Despite the loss, the sentiment after the game was that this was an encouraging sign of the young team’s potential.
Walker shrugged off the team’s youth.
“We’re just going to go out here and do what we do. … We never take things as a loss, this is just a win for us to see, we were this close,” Walker said. “Let’s just crack down on some of the little things and we’re right there.”
Turner Thorne likes what she sees so far from her team these past five games.
“We have a great vibe and this team just plays hard,” Turner Thorne said. “Some of it is just going to take time in terms of really playing together … it’s a team that has a chance to be really really good.”
The Sun Devils will have time off for some much needed rest, and then face another tough opponent in No. 7 Arizona at Tucson, the team’s first road game of the season.
