ASU Women’s Basketball: Sun Devils squeak past Utah on the road

(Photo: Tyler Rittenhouse/WCSN)

SALT LAKE CITY — 2017 ended on a high note for ASU women’s basketball (11-3, 2-0 Pac-12) as the Sun Devils defeated the Utah Utes (10-3, 1-1 Pac 12) 83-81 on Sunday.

The game came down to the closing seconds as ASU fended off a scrappy Utah team that almost came back from a 17-point deficit. The Sun Devils were led down the stretch by Jamie Ruden, who had five points in the final minute.

“They’re a very good offensive team. We don’t give up 81 points, that’s just not who we are,” ASU head coach Charli Turner Thorne said. “We played score more basketball. We didn’t control the boards and we didn’t play our normal lockdown defense and gave them way too many points in the paint.”

Ruden put an end to a 6-0 run that had tied the game in the final minute at 77 apiece, knocking down a three-point shot to regain the lead for the Sun Devils. The shot wasn’t the biggest of the game for the sophomore guard, as she would knock down the eventual game-winner on an assist from Reili Richardson that would put ASU up for good with 13 seconds remaining in the game.

The late-game effort to fend off Utah gave the Sun Devils valuable experience in clutch situations for a team that doesn’t have any seniors on its roster.

“I was really proud of our poise,” Turner Thorne said. “We controlled the first quarter because we controlled the boards and we made shots. The next three quarters we didn’t shoot lights out.”

ASU was led in the scoring department by junior Kianna Ibis, who set a career high with 30 points. Sophomore guard Robbi Ryan poured in 14 points of her own to assist Ruden in holding off a pesky Utah team.

The Sun Devils began the game on a hot streak as they shot 78 percent in the first quarter behind perfect shooting efforts from Courtney Ekmark and Kianna Ibis. The pair would combine for 18 consecutive points in the quarter to put ASU up 34-19 early on.

Utah would begin to cut into the lead in the second period behind a 6-0 run that would trim the lead to 36-25 behind a pair of threes from junior guards Megan Huff and Erika Bean, who would finish the game with 22 and 13 points respectively.

The quarter would end on a cold note for both teams as neither team would score a field goal in the final two minutes of the first half.

The second half began with eight consecutive points by Ibis, but the Sun Devils quickly cooled down in the quarter, relying heavily on their defense.

ASU was able to get even more assistance off of its bench from Sophia Elenga, who followed up her career-high 17 points against Colorado with nine crucial points in the fourth quarter against the Utes.

The win was number 451 for head coach Charli Turner Thorne, with the conference opening win over Colorado putting her at 450. The Sun Devils had a strong team effort in the Colorado game, leading to a 72-47 victory.

Next up, ASU will take on California and Stanford as it travels back to Tempe for the new year. The Sun Devils are hoping to add to their perfect home record of 6-0 at “The Bank.”

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