ASU Women’s Basketball: Sun Devils to host USC and No. 9 UCLA this weekend

(Photo: Travis Whittaker/WCSN)

The Arizona State Women’s Basketball team is 3-0 for the first time since 2017-2018 when they finished 22-13. A three game sweep at the Global Sports & Events Tipoff gives the Sun Devils some momentum heading into a Pac-12 Conference schedule that they have never seen before. 22 games is a long way down the road, but over time they will see which team can rise to the occasion throughout the daunting schedule.

“I thought our bench had their best game of the season so far against Saint Mary’s,” head coach Charli Turner Thorne said. “To have that depth, especially early on is going to be really important heading into this weekend.”

The Sun Devils will welcome the two Los Angeles schools to town, USC and No. 9 UCLA. The Trojans will come into Desert Financial Arena on Friday, with the Bruins moving in for a date on Sunday in Tempe.

ASU swept the Women of Troy last season, including a triple overtime classic in Tempe on January 31 in which the Sun Devils came out on top 76-75. Four of the five starters in that game graduated, and the other, Jayde Van Hyfte, is out for the season with a knee injury.

For the Trojans, three of their five starters from that game return for this season. One of them, Endiya Rogers, scored 30 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals in that game. Rogers headlines a very young USC team with no seniors, and just one junior on the squad.

“We both have really good talent, we’re both really young so it’s definitely going to be a matter of who’s more aggressive and who’s a tougher team,” Turner Thorne said in her weekly media availability on Thursday.

USC opened up its season on November 25 with an 85-55 win over Loyola Marymount. Rogers was one of five Trojans in double digits with 15 points, with their leading scorer Madison Campbell dropping in 19 points.

“They’ve got really dynamic guards and we need to take care of the ball. Controlling the boards is a key for us every game, limiting teams to one shot and getting multiple shots ourselves,” Turner Thorne said.

Something ASU did very well against Saint Mary’s is limit the three point attempts the Gaels had. That was something Turner Thorne mentioned about USC after the Trojans made 11 three pointers in their game vs LMU.

“We intend to guard the three point line and need to take away their transition off of turnovers and second shots,” Turner Thorne said.

They were solid on the defensive end as well, with Angel Jackson grabbing four steals and blocked one shot. Amaya Oliver was prolific on the boards pulling down 16 rebounds. With the Sun Devils’ lack of size this season, Oliver could prove to be a tough matchup on Friday night.

The Sun Devils could combat that with their feisty defense that they showed over the weekend. On Monday, they forced 23 turnovers on Saint Mary’s which led to 25 points from those turnovers.

The Bruins had two games scheduled before they were to come to Arizona State, but only played one. After a 98-49 win over Cal State Fullerton on November 27, their next game was cancelled due to a positive test from their opponent, Pepperdine. UCLA will be in Tucson on Friday playing Arizona.

The dynamic duo of Charisma Osborne and Michaela Onyenwere is what makes UCLA so tough to defend. Osborne and Onyenwere combined for 53 points in their win over CSU Fullerton. The ninth ranked Bruins shot 48% in that game which is something ASU will need to contain on Sunday afternoon. The Sun Devils lost both matchups last season by nine points and two points, respectively, but with a completely revamped team, it raises questions about how they will defend the two this season. The three games they’ve played so far have indicated that they can get up for that challenge, although they haven’t played an opponent from a power five conference.

When the Sun Devils take on USC on Friday, it will be their fourth game of the season, while it will be the Trojans’ second. What was seen between the Sun Devils’ second and third game was a stark difference offensively. The depth of the scoring in their third game was noticeable. Nine of the 11 players that saw time on the floor scored at least one basket, and four players tied with the team-high in points with nine.

On the injury front, Maggie Besselink is cleared to play by the medical staff, but Turner Thorne said they would be cautious as to how much, if any, time she gets on the floor this weekend.

The Sun Devils are one of the few teams in Division I to have played at least three games. With a team as young as they are, with two true freshman starters and no seniors in the starting lineup, all of the experience they have built so far on the court, with daily COVID-19 testing and all of the other hurdles they have to jump through every day, should have them ready to begin this Pac-12 slate this weekend.

Both games between USC and UCLA will air on the Pac-12 Network. Friday’s tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m MST and Sunday’s tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m MST.