ASU Women’s Basketball: Sun Devils to open WNIT against Rice

(WCSN Photo: Susan Wong)

For the seventh straight year, there will be postseason basketball for Arizona State (11-10; 6-9 Pac-12). The Sun Devils accepted an invitation to the WNIT, and will open the first round against Rice (18-4; 12-2 C-USA) on Friday in Fort Worth.

This will be Arizona State’s sixth appearance in the tournament. The team last played in the WNIT in 2012, and have only advanced past the first round twice.

After six consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, head coach Charli Turner Thorne is happy to once again compete in a postseason tournament that will follow a similar structure to the Big Dance. It will give her young team the chance to understand the window of time and how to prepare for a “March Madness” environment.

“The NIT, even though it’s not the NCAA Tournament, there’s not a bad team in it,” Turner Thorne said during her weekly media availability. “It’s going to be a very strong tournament…This is something that’s a great investment for us.”

Only two active players on the Sun Devil roster, juniors Taya Hanson and Iris Mbulito, have experienced March basketball. The majority of the team received its first taste of postseason play when it fell to USC in the opening round of the Pac-12 Tournament.

“They got a dress rehearsal with the Pac-12 Tournament. It’s win or go home,” Turner Thorne said. “So now it’s really for real. This is it for the team this season.”

Despite not knowing their postseason fate until Monday, the Sun Devils continued to practice on the court during the break. Leading up to the tournament, Turner Thorne has continued to put emphasis on what the team has done best this year: defense and rebounding.

On the other side of the ball, the team will continue to rely on the efficiency of junior guard and All-Pac-12 honorable mention Hanson, who led the Sun Devils with 15 points in their last contest.

Freshman Maggie Besselink is coming off her first career double-double, and freshman Jaddan Simmons is on track to be the first Sun Devil freshman to average double digits in 17 years.

The Rice Owls are coming off a 68-65 loss in the Conference USA championship. The team is led by 6-foot-9 senior Nancy Mulkey, a three-time Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year. Mulkey is averaging 15.7 points and 3.3 blocks per game.

“Yeah, six-nine is big. At least she’s six-nine and skinny, versus thick,” Turner Thorne said. “But she’s really good…(head coach) Tina (Langley) has done a phenomenal job with her at Rice. A lot runs through her and their Chin offense. She’s a true six-nine too. I watched her play plenty in high school.”

The WNIT is fielding 32 teams this year, half of its normal size due to COVID procedures. The four regional sites of the tournament are Fort Worth, Charlotte, Memphis, and Rockford, Ill.

The postseason berth gives the Sun Devils the opportunity to add to the storied history of the program. Turner Thorne is proud of her team’s enthusiasm and excitement for the chance to play for a championship.

“We really hope that we can win it or win a number of games and do very well,” Turner Thorne said. “Obviously this is good postseason experience for us. There are teams in this tournament that are better than teams in the NCAA Tournament…It’s going to be a great test for us and it’s going to be a March Madness setting in regards to the competition.”

The first round matchup against Rice tips off at 9 a.m. PST and can be streamed through FloHoops. No matter the result, the Sun Devils are guaranteed a second game against either Fresno State or Missouri on Saturday.