(Photo: Brooke Faber/WCSN)
The Arizona State Sun Devils traveled down to Tucson on Sunday to take on rival Arizona in the second installment of the Territorial Cup and did not disappoint, taking down the Wildcats 62-47.
In the first half, ASU (17-3, 8-0 Pac-12) used its suffocating defense to hold the Wildcats (11-9, 2-6 Pac-12) to their lowest points scored in a half this season.
Arnecia Hawkins made a huge impact coming off the bench in the first half shooting a perfect 6-for-6 from the field and scored 16 of ASU’s 34 points in the first half.
Sophie Brunner took an awkward fall in the middle of the second period and went immediately to the locker room, but she would return to the game in the second half. ASU didn’t skip a beat without her in the first half, leading the way going into halftime 34-14.
Arizona was without Taryn Griffey as they have been since mid-January, which affected their ball security. In the first half alone they had nine turnovers.
In the second half, it seemed like the Sun Devils took their foot off of the gas. After holding the Wildcats to single digit scoring in the first and second quarters, ASU was outscored in both the third and fourth quarters.
Hawkins’ lack of scoring in the second half was part of the reason ASU’s offense looked more stagnant, scoring her first bucket of the half with 5:25 remaining in the third quarter.
It’s the second straight season that ASU has swept the regular season series against Arizona, and the win moves the Sun Devils to 8-0 in the Pac-12, their best conference start in program history.
Player of the game: Arnecia Hawkins
Hawkins finished the game with 19 points, four rebounds, and three assists. She was the game’s leading scorer despite coming off of the bench. She was the driving force behind ASU’s big first half, scoring 15 points on 5-for-5 shooting in the first two quarters.
Stat of the Night: 37 rebounds
After getting out-rebounded 35-20 two days prior in their first match up in Tempe, the Sun Devils turned things around in Tucson and out-rebounded the Wildcats 37-19. This allowed players like Arnecia Hawkins and Katie Hempen, who was held scoreless in the last matchup, to get better looks and score.
What’s Next:
The Sun Devils will travel to Eugene, OR. to take on the Oregon Ducks on Friday at 9pm.
