ASU Women’s Basketball: Sun Devils prepare for weekend homestand against Washington schools

(Photo: Susan Wong/WCSN)

Arizona State Women’s Basketball will be playing three games in a week, as it prepares for a weekend homestand against the Washington schools this weekend.

The Sun Devils (9-6, 4-6 Pac-12) are coming off a non-conference win over Southern Utah on Monday that was scheduled after their road trip to Oregon was postponed due to COVID protocols in both Oregon and Oregon State’s programs.

Their 55-44 win over the Thunderbirds started off slow, with the Devils scoring 12 points in each of the first three quarters. A dominant defensive effort along with the backcourt duo of Taya Hanson and Jaddan Simmons combining for 28 points kept the Devils in command throughout the game.

The contest was a much-needed return to action in a season that has had many postponements. The team has played just seven games in the last 52 days.

“Even though we didn’t play great against Southern Utah, I thought it was a great game for us,” head coach Charli Turner Thorne said during her weekly media availability. “Just to keep getting better and looking at things we can do better. I’m really glad we got that game.”

This weekend will be the first time the Sun Devils play Washington and Washington State this season. Their trip to the Evergreen State was canceled last month due to COVID developments in the ASU program.

The Sun Devil squad will first look to Washington (4-10, 1-10 Pac-12) on Friday. The Huskies, led by forward Haley Van Dyke, are on an eight game losing skid. Turner Thorne is preparing the team for any defensive rotations Washington may run.

“Washington is a challenging team,” Turner Thorne said. “They play about five different defenses. They’re very aggressive… so for my young team that’s never played them, this is a pretty quick prep and a tough scout. They basically play every defense ever invented.”

Turner Thorne will continue to emphasize the defensive side of the ball this weekend. Arizona State has been one of the top teams in the conference in scoring defense, and has consistently held their opposition to under their scoring averages. Turner Thorne is looking for the defense to play a part in bolstering their inconsistent offense.

“Knowing where we’re at with this team, we’ve just got to defend,” Turner Thorne said. “Defend for 40 minutes no matter what. Did we have breakdowns? Yes. Did we have letups? Yes. But I think we’re getting back to that mindset and we’ve talked about that.”

The Devils will then shift their focus Sunday for a Valentine’s Day matchup against the Washington State Cougars (9-7, 7-7 Pac-12), who are coming off a road upset over No. 5 UCLA last weekend.

Cougars’ freshman guard Charlisse Leger-Walker was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week this past week for knotting over 20 points in both of her last two games. She currently leads the conference in points scored.

Arizona State’s game against Washington will tip off Friday at 5 p.m. MST, and can be seen on Pac-12 Network. Its contest against Washington State begins Sunday at 12:30 p.m. MST, and can be viewed via ASU Live Stream.