Instant Recap: ASU Falls to West Virginia in Big 12 Tournament Quarterfinals

(Photo: Sun Devil Athletics)

KANSAS CITY, Mo – Early in the fourth quarter of Arizona State’s quarterfinal contest against West Virginia, the Sun Devils trailed by five. Senior guard Marley Washenitz pushed the ball up the floor in transition, seamlessly navigating West Virginia’s stout defense. The Fairmont, WV native had the hot hand against her home state school, shooting 3-for-3 from beyond the arc to that point.

Redshirt junior forward Deborah Davenport came in to set a screen, sweeping away the defender to give Washenitz some shooting space. Without hesitation, Washenitz fired from distance, connecting on her fourth triple of the night.

The Sun Devils were so close to completing the comeback against a Mountaineers team that had once led by 13 earlier in the game.

But then came the response. WVU’s Sydney Shaw connected on a three of her own, setting off a 15-4 run to close the game.

Arizona State’s (24-10, 9-9) time in the Big 12 Women’s Basketball Tournament came to an end at the hands of West Virginia (25-6, 14-4) Friday, falling 67-54. Washenitz’s 14 points and four threes weren’t enough to push the 10th-seeded Sun Devils past the second-seeded Mountaineers.

“It was a game that was hard-fought on both ends,” head coach Molly Miller said. “We made some runs, but just couldn’t get over the hump.”

With both teams playing aggressive defense, points off turnovers became the separating factor.

ASU forced 16 turnovers, but only turned them into 10 points. West Virginia, on the other hand, scored 35 points off the Sun Devils’ 19 mishaps.

Despite the game ending the Sun Devils’ run at a conference championship, Miller believes the Sun Devils have more basketball to play ahead of them. She laid out the three biggest reasons her team deserves an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, noting that no team with 24 wins has ever been left out – ASU’s strongest case for inclusion.

Additionally, the Sun Devils’ 12 wins against top-100 NET opponents lead all so-called bubble teams.

“That shows the competitiveness of this team,” Miller said. “If you’re going to go play in the most competitive tournament in the country, you want the most competitive teams, and that’s Arizona State.”

To further the Sun Devils’ case, Miller also brought up her team’s nine road victories, saying that “we’ve proven we can win anywhere.”

West Virginia head coach Mark Kellogg backed Miller’s case.

“That is a tough, physical team that probably should be in the NCAA tournament,” he said.

Miller and Kellogg have known each other long before their Big 12 days, both led Western Athletic Conference squads, facing off four times from 2020 to 2023: Miller at Grand Canyon and Kellogg at Stephen F. Austin. After Friday’s West Virginia win, Kellogg holds a 5-1 advantage over Miller in his career.

For even further parity, Miller and Kellogg both got their coaching starts at the Division II level. The two moved up to the WAC within five years of each other and within two to the Big 12.

Despite an old foe sending Miller and company back to home to Tempe, the Sun Devils still have faith in their season continuing. But they’ll have to anxiously wait the nine days until Selection Sunday to find out.