(Photo by Travis Whittaker/WCSN)
The 17th ranked Arizona State Sun Devils (18-6, 9-4 Pac-12) ride a five-game winning streak into the Bay Area, as they are set to play Cal and No. 7 Stanford this weekend. ASU extended that winning streak by erasing an 18-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat Utah on Sunday.
Arizona State enters the weekend holding the No. 4 seed in the Pac-12 tournament, a seed that would allow the Sun Devils to avoid an extra game during that weekend. With that in mind, and match-ups against No. 7 Stanford, No. 12 Oregon State and No. 2 Oregon upcoming in the next two weeks, head coach Charli Turner Thorne said she challenged the team to win out.
“I think this is a really fun challenge for us in these last four games because they are all four tournament teams,” Turner Thorne said during Wednesday’s media availability. “What we talked about is like, ‘Hey, go ahead and try it on. Win or go home. This is it.’ Every game is going to be that caliber, and so it’s going to be great for us.”
As Arizona State heads to the Bay Area for the weekend, here’s a look at their opponents.
California Golden Bears (14-11, 5-9 Pac-12)
In the first matchup between the Sun Devils and Golden Bears an outstanding performance from senior forward Kianna Ibis helped Arizona State send Cal home with a 62-61 loss. The Sun Devils active leader in points scored 26 points on a 9-for-12 shooting performance in the opening matchup.
Cal senior forward Kristine Anigwe, who averages 23.3 points per game, scored 21 points and grabbed 16 rebounds during the Jan. 13 meeting. Arizona State senior center Charnea Johnson-Chapman will likely be tasked with the duty of stopping her.
While the Sun Devils enter Berkeley on a hot streak, the Golden Bears enter play Friday having lost five-consecutive games. No. 17 Arizona State and Cal will tip-off at 8 p.m. Friday night.
No. 7 Stanford Cardinal (21-4, 11-3 Pac-12)
When Arizona State took on Stanford Jan. 11, the Cardinal opened up an early lead and the Sun Devils were never able to orchestrate a comeback. Stanford senior forward Alanna Smith scored 25 points and grabbed six rebounds during the Cardinal’s 72-65 win, but the story of the first matchup was Ibis’ disappearance for the Sun Devils.
ASU’s senior forward scored six points and shot 3-for-8 from the field, as Turner Thorne and the Sun Devils lost their first home game of the year.
No. 7 Stanford hosts No. 17 Arizona State Sunday at 2 p.m. Both Friday and Sunday’s games will be aired on the Pac-12 Networks.
