It has been a special season for senior guard Reili Richardson. Sunday afternoon against Washington was just another example of that.
Richardson’s had a multitude of big performances and clutch shots for No. 22 Arizona State (18-8, 8-6) this season. But, on Sunday afternoon Richardson added to her great ASU career, passing Briann January to become the all-time assists leader in ASU women’s basketball history.
“I passed a legend,” Richardson said. “It’s pretty awesome, it was awesome when she [January] coached me, and it’s even more awesome that I passed her.”
Richardson’s assist record was the icing on the cake in ASU’s 72-68 win over Washington (11-14, 3-11). The Devils have now won back-to-back games after previously dropping four of their last five.
However, this is the Pac-12 where no win comes easy, and that was the case yet again Sunday at Desert Financial Arena.
ASU came out of the gates firing on all cylinders. The Devils made it an emphasis to feed senior forward Ja’Tavia Tapley early and often. Tapley hit back-to-back buckets to open the game, and even showcased her passing ability with a no-look assist to Jayde Van Hyfte.
Tapley’s early presence opened up everything for the Sun Devils’ offense in the first period. ASU had seven different players score in the opening quarter to go along with a 58.3 percent field goal percentage.
The Huskies picked up their game in the second quarter, but Kiara Russell owned the last moments of the first half. The senior guard from Minneapolis, Minnesota, scored five of her nine points in the last 40 seconds of the period, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer that put the Devils up eight going into halftime.
Although ASU had full control of the game, the Huskies would never go away.
Washington came out in the second half pressing the Devils and distributing the ball offensively. Six different Huskies scored in the third quarter, but Richardson limited the damage as she scored 8 of her team-high 17 points in the period.
The fourth quarter was dominated by Washington’s Amber Melgoza. The senior guard, who is the Huskies’ leading scorer averaging 17.8 ppg, only had six points heading into the final 10 minutes. However, Melgoza was unstoppable down the stretch scoring 12 of her 18 points in the quarter.
“Melgoza’s one of the best scorers in the conference,” head coach Charli Turner Thorne said. “She was like Ionescu out there, that was impressive.”
Melgoza’s late-game efforts were not enough to overcome ASU’s timely shooting and execution. Senior forward Jamie Ruden and Tapley both had six points in the final frame.
Ruden hit back-to-back threes in the middle of the fourth quarter to keep the Sun Devils ahead despite Melgoza’s scoring onslaught. ASU iced the game with two free throws from Iris Mbulito which secured the team’s eighth win in Pac-12 play.
“This is definitely the second coming of the Cardiac Kids,” Turner Thorne said. “I think we executed down the stretch and made enough free throws.”
ASU finished the contest shooting 45.6 percent from the field, and never shot below 40 percent in any quarter. The Sun Devils are now 9-2 this season when they shoot 40 percent or better from the field.
“If you make shots, life is so much easier,” Turner Thorne said about her team’s shooting performance. “Washington is a lot to prepare for, and I thought we did a pretty good job. We didn’t have too many empty possessions.”
The Sun Devils only have four games left until the Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas. ASU will face off against four teams that they have yet to play this season.
“I think teams adjust to our defense sometimes, so I think it will be somewhat advantageous that there is some newness in these last four games,” Turner Thorne said.
The first of those last four games will be in Boulder, Colorado against the Buffaloes in the first leg of the Sun Devils’ upcoming mountain road trip. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. MT Friday.
