(Photo via Janaé Bradford/WCSN)
Arizona State Women’s Basketball returns home from a short but definitely not sweet road trip this weekend to face the Bay Area schools.
ASU left Los Angeles with a sour taste in its mouth, as double-digit losses to both No. 14 UCLA and USC leave the Sun Devils still winless in Pac-12 Conference play.
It’s set to be a busy weekend in Arizona, not only because both Super Bowl LVII and the Phoenix Open are in town but also because the Sun Devils (7-14, 0-12 Pac-12) have the potential to beat their first Pac-12 opponent when the 11th-place California Golden Bears (11-12, 2-10) come to Tempe on Friday.
California currently ranks in the bottom half of the conference in almost all major statistical categories, including scoring offense and defense, field goal percentage, and rebounding.
One of the Golden Bears’ two conference wins this season came against ASU on Jan. 2. The Sun Devils fell 61-74.
In Cal’s win over the Sun Devils, junior forward Michelle Oniyah had a breakout game, matching her career-high 16 points while shooting an efficient 50% from the field. While the Sun Devils will be keeping an eye out for Oniyah this time around, ASU’s main worry still lies with the backcourt duo of sophomore Jayda Curry and redshirt sophomore guard Kemery Martín.
Curry, who won Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and was named Pac-12 All-Conference in 2022 by the media, has stayed hot this season, averaging a team-best 13.8 points per game. Martín, a transfer from Utah, is making the best of her fresh start with the Golden Bears on an efficient 39/40/78 shooting split.
The Golden Bears are coming off losses to both Washington schools and will be looking to bounce back against ASU.
In the back half of the weekend, the Sun Devils will go from facing the second-worst team to the second-best team in the Pac-12 in No. 6 Stanford (22-3, 10-2). The last matchup between the Cardinal and the Sun Devils was anything but competitive, as Stanford came away with the 101-69 win.
Stanford has been nothing short of excellent this season, holding a commanding presence on both ends of the court. On the defensive side, the Cardinal does not let up. They lead the Pac-12 in field goal percentage allowed – while ASU ranks dead last – blocked shots and defensive rebounds.
Leading the way for Stanford is junior forward Cameron Brink, who has racked up numerous accolades in her Cardinal career. Her honors include 2022 WBCA All-America, 2022 Pac-12 Player of the Year (Media), and 2022 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. This season, Brink is averaging 14.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.6 blocks per game while shooting 49% from the field.
The Cardinal’s dominance doesn’t end there, with senior guards Haley Jones and Hannah Jump also averaging double-digit points per game. Jones – the coaches’ pick for 2022 Pac-12 Player of the Year – is coming off an 18-point effort in Stanford’s surprising loss to Washington. Jump led the Pac-12 in 3-pointers in 2022 and has not let up this season, shooting 42% from behind the arc on almost seven attempts per game.
A daunting weekend lies ahead for ASU as the pressure to earn its first conference win grows. The Sun Devils hope the schools from the Golden State can bring some light to shine on what has been a dark season in the desert.
