(Photo: Brendan O’Keefe/WCSN)
In today’s day and age, it’s common to have to adapt on the fly, and Tuesday’s matchup between the Arizona State Sun Devils (7-5) and UC Irvine Anteaters (5-5) was yet another example of this.
The game was supposed to take place at Desert Financial Arena, but a power outage forced the teams to play at Weatherup Center, the Sun Devils’ practice facility. The game would take place without the general public, which gave a similar feeling to games played last season.
“[Covid-19] taught people to evaluate and adjust what they’re doing. This is nothing; we can play anywhere,” said sophomore Jaddan Simmons when asked about the similarities between today and last season. “We had a couple of people. This year was my first time playing in front of fans and stuff, so right back to last year and how it was.”
The similarities between last season and today’s 69-52 victory were striking, but it didn’t affect ASU’s mindset.
“We’re still going to get a dub and work our butts off, either way. It doesn’t matter where we’re going to play,” senior guard Taya Hanson told reporters of the team’s mindset. “We’re going to come out and play Sun Devil defense and play as a team. For us, it doesn’t matter where we go, just what we do on the floor.”
Simmons and the Sun Devils defense carried the load in the opening quarter by forcing seven turnovers. The 5-foot-9 guard contributed two turnovers by picking the pocket of the Anteaters. The defensive intensity only allowed for seven Anteater points.
UC Irvine couldn’t get a basket on the offensive end and could not stop Arizona State on the defensive end. ASU shot 10 of 22 from the field and scored 24 points. Senior forward Jade Loville led the Devils in points, with 12 of her game-high 20 points coming in the first quarter.
“I like to play with a lot of confidence. Luckily, I just have teammates who find me and coaches who put me in the right spots. They’re shooting with me in the morning, after practice and whenever I need it,” Loville explained of her recent success on the offensive end. “I think my teammates did a great job of finding me. We did some great sets that put me in good spots. Luckily, the ball just kept draining and I helped my team.”
A strong start to a game has been rare for ASU, which could have been a sign of a step improvement. But the second and third quarters would see Arizona State revert to its old ways.
“We had a great first quarter. [I] would have definitely loved to carry that out throughout the game,” Hanson explained. “But I’m proud of my team for starting strong that way because it hasn’t been the case this season.”
UCI was led by redshirt freshman Kayla Williams, who contributed six points in the second quarter. The 5-foot-7 guard also got her teammates involved by dishing out three assists. Four of sophomore Sophia Locandro’s six second-quarter points came from the help of Williams.
ASU’s defensive flaws hurt them, but their offensive errors worsened the blow. The Sun Devils’ shots stopped falling as the team went a combined 4-for-11 from the field. Loville was responsible for six of the 13 second-quarter points.
The third quarter started with a layup by Jayde Van Hefte. But then ASU would let up a jumper and a three on the other end. Turner Thorne was visibly upset and called her first timeout of the quarter at the 7:14 mark. After the stoppage, Arizona State’s defense greatly improved, which kept them above water.
Although Arizona State fell apart in the second and third quarters, Turner Thorne looked at it with a positive outlook.
“It was probably great for us. We missed shots and settled a ton in the second and the third quarter. We took quick shots that we didn’t need to take. It put more pressure on the defense, which is really good,” Arizona State head coach Charli Turner Thorne said. “To have a swing like that, which you know is going to happen in the Pac-12… is much better than the Harvard game.”
The swing was exactly what ASU needed to get back into a rhythm for the fourth quarter. Graduate student Mael Gilles would contribute on the offensive end by having nine points on a perfect shooting percentage. Gilles also managed to grab four of her 12 rebounds in the quarter. The rebounding effort allowed Arizona State to get into transition and push the tempo in the final quarter.
ASU will finish the non-conference portion of their schedule with a record of 7-5, which is dead last in the Pac-12. But Turner Thorne is optimistic about her team’s chances heading into conference play.
“We always say we have the toughest conference in the country one through 12. Actually, I know a lot of teams in our conference that have had players out. So, unfortunately, some of our records probably don’t look like the way they would have if we’ve all been fully healthy,” Turner Thorne said of the Pac-12. “But we all know come Pac-12 [play] people are going to have their team ready. I’m excited if we can continue to score around 70-plus, and we can hold people in the 50s.”
ASU will start conference play with a trip to Los Angeles. The first Pac-12 matchup will take place on New Year’s Eve against the UCLA Bruins (5-3, 0-0 Pac-12) and then will take on the USC Trojans (7-3, 0-0 Pac-12) on Jan. 2. Both games will tip-off at 7 pm MST.
“Just playing four quarters,” Simmons said of the team’s goals heading into conference play. “Just be able to finish games, play as a team and always be connected. It starts with our defense. So, that’ll lead into our offense and overall, just take what coach Charli gives us and apply it when we get into the game, not just in practice.”
