(Photo via Janaé Bradford/WCSN)
The first conference game of the Natasha Adair coaching era ended bitterly for Arizona State Women’s Basketball, as the Sun Devils were outclassed physically and mentally by their in-state rivals in Tucson.
The Wildcats (11-1) put on a clinic down low, manhandling the Sun Devils (7-5) for 56 points in the paint en route to an 84-66 victory.
The first quarter was an immediate gut punch for ASU, as Arizona would quickly set the tone for the game. At 6:41 in the first, fifth-year guard Shaina Pellington converted an and-one layup after an ASU turnover to give the Wildcats a 10-2 lead. The 9,495 fans present at the McKale Center roared in thunderous applause. That Wildcats’ lead ballooned to 12 less than five minutes after tip-off.
Whether it was the physicality of the Wildcats or the disadvantage of being on the road, the Sun Devils could not play to their strengths this game. They were outrebounded 15-6 by the Wildcats in the first quarter alone and 40-35 for the night. They also weren’t able to capitalize from the free-throw line as often as usual, attempting a season-low 14 foul shots and converting a season-worst 50%.
What the Sun Devils struggled with most, however, was defending the basket. The Wildcats only made two long-range shots Thursday night, but that wasn’t a problem due to their dominance inside. Arizona was able to generate paint points in a variety of ways, and according to Adair, her team didn’t do enough to contain them.
“I think early in transition, they got points at the rim,” Adair said. “Those were layups, but then in that second half, they created some opportunities with their posts that we have to go back and we have to look at, and a lot those were just winning those one-on-one matchups inside. I thought [the Wildcats] were intentional about going inside and finishing around the rim, and that’s just where we have to get better.”
The Sun Devils managed to keep it moderately close until the third quarter, thanks to the play of junior guard Tyi Skinner. She was 5-for-11 from beyond the arc and ended the game with 26 points, the most any player has scored against the Wildcats this season.
“She’s just fearless,” Adair said. “She’s able to come off the ball. She’s able to score with the ball in her hands, and I thought she handled the pressure pretty well and was poised pretty well… there’s no person in front of her that she’s going to be fearful of or intimidated by.”
Despite her stellar play on offense, Skinner found herself in foul trouble and had to sit out for much of the third quarter. Arizona took advantage, outscoring ASU by 14 in the period, even growing its lead to as much as 28. ASU was able to finish strong, but it wasn’t nearly enough to make up the deficit.
Arizona used a balanced scoring approach, with four players posting double-figures. Its assault in the paint was led by senior forward Esmery Martinez, who totaled 21 points and 10 rebounds in just 24 minutes.
The Sun Devils will now have to quickly turn the page and prepare for two more road games over the next four days, including a matchup against No. 2 Stanford at Maples Pavilion.
Despite a grueling schedule to start Pac-12 play, Adair is not worried by Thursday’s loss. She knows that there is plenty of time in the season left to improve.
“We want to be our best heading into March, and we’re learning,” Adair said. “We’re building our culture. We’re learning about who we are, our identity, and in moments, you could see it. We just need to put together more moments so it becomes consistent for 40 minutes.”
