(Photo via Janae Bradford/WCSN)
Arizona State women’s basketball dominated from start to finish in Bozeman, as Montana State didn’t score its first field goal until 3:11 in the first quarter and couldn’t recover from there.
It was a game of firsts for the Sun Devils. Tuesday night was their first road game of the season, their first game shooting over 40 percent from the field and above 30 percent from beyond the arc, and their first blowout win of the season, cruising over Montana State, 79-64.
On the other hand, the Bobcats were almost as cold as the mid-20 degree night outside the arena, finishing at a frigid 30.6 percent from the field. Montana State’s only consistent showing was at the free throw line, where the Bobcats earned 24 of their points on the night. No single player scored in double-digits and Montana State collectively scored just 12 points outside the paint.
The Sun Devils set the tone in the first quarter, scoring 20 unanswered points to start the game. Although the Bobcats outscored ASU from that point on, they couldn’t lower the deficit under 14 points and the Sun Devils never lost complete control.
It was undoubtedly ASU’s best quarter of the season, as it scored 25 points on an efficient 56.3 clip while holding Montana State to seven points on 23.1 percent. The Sun Devils’ hot shooting continued to sizzle in the second, where they built their largest lead of 27 points midway through the quarter. From that point on, the Sun Devils cooled down and coasted to victory.
ASU’s two best performances on the night were from its two transfers – junior guard Tyi Skinner and junior guard Treasure Hunt. Skinner was electric from the jump, ending with a season-high 24 points along with five rebounds, three assists and four steals. The Delaware transfer was constantly putting pressure on the Bobcats’ inside defense and couldn’t be contained. Hunt chipped in a career-high 19 points and seven rebounds, having arguably her best performance as a Sun Devil.
Junior guard Jaddan Simmons was impactful as well, scoring 15 points on 4-for-8 shooting. Simmons has been ASU’s most consistent player in the early season and has adjusted well to playing as the off-ball guard next to Skinner.
ASU now improves to 3-0 in head coach Natasha Adair’s tenure, with Tuesday night being the Sun Devils’ most complete performance yet. While the offense had struggled heading into the matchup with efficiency, ASU’s defense has been the backbone. Including the win over the Bobcats, the Sun Devils’ opponents are shooting an average of 32.5 percent from the field and 27.5 percent from three.
ASU will head to Albuquerque next to take on New Mexico on Sunday.
