Sun Devils cruise to season-opening win

(Photo: Connor Gleason/WCSN)

TEMPE – Arizona State women’s basketball coach Molly Miller stood calmly on the sideline, smiling, as she began her second season as head coach.

Desert Financial Arena was back in action; it was loud, energetic, and the public address announcer introduced ASU’s starting lineup with apt vigor.

The weekend’s storms were gone, but excitement thundered through the confines of Desert Financial Arena, swirling up a joyous tempest fit for a dream start.

ASU fans got exactly that. The Sun Devils (1-0) took on the Jackson State Tigers (0-1) in their first game of the season. Junior forward Heloisa Carrera led the team in scoring with 15 points and nine rebounds. Her performance would propel the Sun Devils to an 84-41 win over the Tigers.

The Tigers came out swinging; Jackson State opened the game on an 8-0 run. For a period of time, they wanted it more than the Sun Devils.

“We know it’s going to be a little bit tight there, first time in front of a crowd,” Miller said

The Sun Devils responded with a run of their own. Closing the half on a 15-5 run. Carrying all the momentum into the second half.

“The nerves were there, but I think once we settled in, we did a better job,” Miller said. “ We had a little adversity in that first quarter, and they responded.”

That was the only adversity the Sun Devils faced all night. ASU dominated in every facet of the game after the first quarter.

At halftime, you couldn’t point out a single flaw in their game as they led 34-21. They were shooting the lights out, led by a flurry of three-pointers by first-year guard Averie Lower.

“We recruited her for a reason. I think she said it best. Shooters are going to shoot.” Miller said

Despite starting 0-4 from beyond the arc, it didn’t rattle Lower; she kept shooting, and eventually she knew that the shot would fall.

“I just had to have confidence in myself and trust that the next one would go in, because I can never doubt myself or it’ll go downhill,” Lower said

Despite the Sun Devils’ offensive performance, their defensive tenacity carried them through the game.

After closing the first half in dominant fashion. The Sun Devils followed with a commanding third quarter. ASU held the Tigers to zero points in the first five minutes.

They slid their feet on every possession, fought for every rebound, and scored in the paint and from three-point range at will, shooting a collective 59.2 percent as a team.

“We wanted to be the aggressor,” Miller said. “ I want them to be aggressive rebounding. I want them to rebound out of their area. I want to scrap, fight, and claw. I always say every 50-50 ball is 100% ours”

At the end of the night, the team did everything Miller wanted and more: the Sun Devils finished with 51 rebounds and 12 steals.

Coming into the season, there was a lot of hype surrounding the team. Despite a myriad of notable subtractions, the Sun Devils were able to turn to their next-best player.

Senior forward McKinna Brackens and Carrera had their fingerprints all over this game, combining for 29 points, 17 rebounds, and five steals.

Fans showed up, and the Sun Devils rewarded them with a huge win to start the season.

“Fans don’t want to come out and see you know golf clapping on the sideline,” Miller said. “So our energy was really good today.”

Last year, Molly Miller led the team in her first year as head coach. She started 15-0, going 13-0 in non-conference play.

After welcoming the highest-rated transfer portal class in program history, Miller has much more talent to rely on, and the Sun Devils look to build on last year’s stepping stone and assert their name among the Big 12’s best.

“Last year we had to work really, really, really hard, and I’m not sure we were the most talented team,” Miller said. “This year we’re pretty talented, but we can’t let our edge suffer because of that.”

Now undefeated to start the season, the Sun Devils will shift their mentality to what’s in front of them. They face off against NAU Lumberjacks on Thursday.

“You can win both ways, but I’ve always said hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard. So this team really has to lock into that,” Miller said.