Photo: Tyler Rittenhouse/WCSN
With a chance to stay undefeated on their home court and in Pac-12 play, the ASU women’s basketball team returned to Wells Fargo Arena on Friday night for the team’s first home game on the conference schedule.
No. 25 ASU defeated No. 23 Cal 80-71 in an AP top-25 matchup that the Sun Devils led from start to finish. The win was ASU’s first win against an opponent ranked in the AP top-25, and sophomore point guard Reili Richardson set a new career-high in assists.
“It was a great game and just a fun opportunity for our young team to come out and beat a top team,” ASU head coach Charli Turner Thorne said. “I thought we played a very complete game.”
Richardson finished the game with 11 assists and no turnovers, and she facilitated the basketball to her teammates throughout the evening. The sophomore from Southern California leads the nation in assist to turnover ratio, and she has been an emblem of consistency while running the controls for the ASU offense.
As a team, ASU had 23 assists and four turnovers, and eight different players scored.
“I think it was just finding my shooters, and I know where they are coming off of screens and when they are going to be open,” Richardson said.
As for the prime beneficiaries of Richardson’s facilitation, sophomore guard Robbi Ryan dropped 13 points while shooting 5-9 from the field, and sophomore forward Jamie Ruden recorded 14 points on 6-10 shooting in a highly efficient performance from ASU.
“In the first half, my shots weren’t falling, but my teammates and my coaches just kept encouraging me,” Ryan said. “…When you have teammates like mine that always have your back, it’s easy.”
In addition to Ryan and Ruden, junior forward Kiana Ibis tallied 26 points and six rebounds. The performance came after Ibis recorded a new career-high with 30 points against Utah last Sunday.
“My mentality right now is to just keep staying aggressive because whenever my teammates find me and I am open, they always pass it to me,” Ibis said. “…My mentality is just to always stay aggressive.”
With a 3-0 start in Pac-12 play and a high-powered offense that has scored 80 points or more over the last two games, ASU looks to be in peak form to begin conference play.
Friday night’s 80-point outburst was the first time since 2007 that ASU has scored 80 points or more in back-to-back games. The Sun Devils have used a variety of options to score the basketball this season.
“There is nobody on this team that you say don’t shoot,” Turner Thorne said. “…You can’t win in this conference just going to a couple of people. You have to have a balanced scoring attack.”
Although ASU came away victorious, there was nothing to take away from Cal’s effort on the road.. On Friday, the Golden Bears shot 54 percent from the field. Junior forward and Phoenix native Kristine Anigwe had a stellar night in her homecoming, dropping 24 points on 10-14 shooting.
Aside from Anigwe, Cal junior guard Asha Thomas scored 25 points and was able to come up with a couple of crafty finishes at the basket. The junior point guard shot 50 percent from the field.
“Credit Cal. They are a really good team and that was a fun game today,” Turner Thorne said.
Despite a valiant effort from Cal, ASU was able to control the game by breaking down the Golden Bears defense. The Sun Devils were able to take advantage of Cal’s zone defense, and ASU will now shift its attention to another Bay Area opponent on Sunday afternoon.
ASU will partake in another top-25 showdown when the No. 24 Stanford Cardinal enter Wells Fargo Arena. ASU will have a chance to stay undefeated on its home floor, and possibly climb the ladder even higher in the AP rankings.
“It’s fun to shoot the ball as well as we are shooting the ball right now,” Turner Thorne said. “…This team, they keep getting tougher and they have the makings of some of the top teams that I have coached over the years.”
Tipoff between ASU and Stanford is set for Sunday, Jan. 7 at 2 p.m. MST.
