Miller’s High Intensity Defense Shines in Physical ASU win

Photo: Madison Soreson (WCSN)

TEMPE – From the first play of the game, when senior guard Gabby Elliott was hit in the eye in what would turn into a flagrant foul, it was more than apparent that a victory from either side would require serious grit.

Physicality soared in Desert Financial Arena as Arizona State women’s basketball took on the University of Kansas in a 67-51 win.

Turnovers on both sides made up the first quarter as neither squad could find a rhythm. A stagnant Sun Devil offense was struggling to spread the floor and every pass seemed to result in a Kansas steal and field goal, a 7-0 run lead by S’mya Nichole gave the Jayhawks a steam of momentum early on.

A flip occurred when a sequence that saw three-straight giveaways finally resulted in an ASU basket. With head coach Molly Miller’s signature full court press ASU allowed its starts of the game to stand out.

“Honestly, my mind was on defense today,” Miller said “Our statement was making it hard for them.”

Redshirt junior Deborah Davenport was flying around the floor, accumulating two blocks in just one minute, with a steal turning into a coast-to-coast and-one, resulting in a three-point play for the Sun Devils.

“Today, Deb was our spark,” Miller said. “When she brings that energy every night, we’re going to be elevated when she comes into the game.”

From that point on, Desert Financial Arena was absolutely blazing with energy, and so was Miller after her squad forced a pivotal shot clock violation. This would come off of an ASU 7-0 run of its own, which would lead to a 19-3 differential by the end of it. Just when the Jayhawks were finally able to get a shot to fall, freshman guard Amaya Williams took an isolation and hit a contested fadeaway buzzer beater to end the half.

The third quarter is where the Sun Devils started their takeover offensively, led by sophomore forward Heloisa Carrera, who simply could not miss. She went for 22 points from the field and created multiple impact plays on both sides of the floor.

Gabby Elliott paired well with Carrera as she set the tone for the game and never looked back, finishing with 20 points and plenty of decisive possessions on the floor.

A sense of urgency could be seen from the Kansas bench, leading to even more miscues on the offensive side of the ball. In the fourth quarter, the Sun Devils would reach their largest lead of the game of 16 points, but that didn’t stop the hustle of senior guard Marley Washenitz. With 6:22 left in the fourth quarter, she was smiling big after two blocks in one possession. The first was a chase-down right under the rim, and the second was behind the arc, which led to a layup on the other end.

“Shes our heartbeat out there,” Miller said. “She really does make us go, and those hustle plays, it’s the sun devil brand.”

A big theme of the Sun Devils’ season, the stats may not always look the flashiest on paper, but Molly Miller’s squad will most definitely pass the eye test.