Despite a slow first half, the Arizona State women’s basketball team pulled out a 60-45 victory against the Oregon Ducks at Wells Fargo Arena on Friday. This is the Sun Devil’s first win in conference play after the team lost two in a row to Washington and Washington State last weekend.
At the start of the game, a Promise Amukamara layup and Elisha Davis three-pointer sparked a 7-0 run after Oregon made the first basket of the game. After this though, the half consisted of missed shots in the paint and around the perimeter. The Sun Devils only shot 27 percent from the field and were 2-14 from behind the arc. The team forced passes inside the paint, which contributed to the team’s nine turnovers in the half.
“We took quick shots that we did not want to in the first half and we were not executing our game plan,” head coach Charli Turner Thorne said.
When the Lady Devils came out of the locker room to start the second half, they knew that they needed to step up to win this game. After trailing 30-25 with 16:46 left in the game, the team’s momentum picked up. Fulcher made two free throws and two consecutive baskets afterwards to give the Devils a 31-30 lead. From then on out, ASU never trailed again. Fulcher led all scorers with 18 points, followed by Joy Burke who contributed 11.
Even though the team’s shooting improved, it was the Sun Devils’ strong defensive effort that helped them win this game. Amukamara and Micaela Pickens held one of Oregon’s top scorers Ariel Thomas to only two points in the entire game. As a team, the Ducks were held to 19 points and turned the ball over 28 times. The Lady Devils also had 15 steals in the entire game and grabbed a total of 43 rebounds.
“We win games by defense and offense will come,” said Fulcher who also grabbed nine rebounds in the game.
The 8-6 Sun Devils are looking for another victory this Sunday when they take on Oregon State at 1 p.m. in Tempe.
