ASU Women’s Basketball: Sun Devils hold on late for 51-47 victory over Colorado

Photo: Susan Wong/WCSN

(Photo: Susan Wong/WCSN)

Despite their first game back since January 3 and three players unavailable due to COVID-19 protocols, Arizona State took down Colorado 51-47 on Friday afternoon behind a strong performance from the Devils’ defense.

ASU went into this one with its fifth different starting lineup in 11 games this season and it was just its third game in 35 days. After a slow start to begin the game, the Sun Devils took a 14-0 run from the final 2:53 of the first quarter to 3:09 into the second quarter to put them ahead early as they would hold the lead for the win at Desert Financial Arena.

“It just felt great to be back out there,” freshman guard Jaddan Simmons said. “To come back and start it off with a win is huge and we’ll be even better once we get the other three players back.”

ASU held a 49-37 lead with 3:38 to go, but a near disaster almost ensued as Colorado scored 10 straight to pull within two. The Buffaloes had a chance to tie it, but turned it over as junior Jamie Loera came up with the steal and junior Taya Hanson finished it off with two from the charity stripe.

“We have to keep working. We had no excuses coming in and we had a great few weeks of practice for those that could,” Hanson said postgame. “We had great energy and we were connected.”

The first seven minutes of the game looked like the typical slow start fans had seen throughout the season. ASU shot just one of nine from the field. Then, the Sun Devils caught fire after Hanson hit two baskets and the team hit four of its final five shots to take a 19-7 lead after one period of play.

“We had our feel-out half,” head coach Charli Turner Thorne said. “It was probably just the rust of not having played for a while.”

One of the ingredients to the run was its defense. Nine Colorado turnovers helped spark the ASU run as it pushed the tempo in transition. Energy on the defensive end of the floor paved the way for the big run.

“We put in a new defense and without three core players, (Iris Mbulito, Katelyn Levings, Maggie Besselink) we were very small,” Turner Thorne said. “I thought we played a lot faster tonight. We struggled on the boards but made up for it with the turnovers we forced.”

The big run to end the first swung into the second quarter just a bit as sophomore Eboni Walker scored her first points of the night and scored all four points for the Sun Devils in a quarter where 10 points were scored between the teams. ASU went just under five minutes without scoring.

ASU extended its lead in the third with a 9-0 run to start the third as it got out in transition once again with four different players accounting for those points. With the lead up to 15, Colorado would respond with an 11-2 run to bring it to within six. The Sun Devils would punch back with a Hanson three and Simmons going the length of the floor for the three-point play that brought the lead back up to 12 and the momentum back with them heading into the fourth.

“We’re just grateful for every day we get to play,” Turner Thorne said. “They just have a great spirit and they want to play and want to win.”

Hanson led the way with 16 points with Simmons adding 13 points and four steals.

The Sun Devils will host Utah on Sunday in Tempe. On December 18, ASU defeated the Utes 56-48 in Salt Lake City behind Hanson’s 15 points and Simmons’ 12 points in the comeback effort.

Sunday’s game versus Utah will tip off at 2p.m. MST on Pac-12 Plus.