Sun Devils face familiar foe in Big 12 Tournament opener

(Photo credit: Grace Monos/WCSN)

With the end of its first regular season in the Big 12 Conference concluding last Saturday, Sun Devil women’s basketball heads to Kansas City, Missouri to begin the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship at T-Mobile Center.

No. 15 seed Arizona State (9-21, 3-15 Big 12) will face No. 10 Cincinnati (15-13, 7-11 Big 12) on Wednesday for the second time this season after falling to the Bearcats 73-66 on Jan. 25.

In the first-ever meeting between these two programs in late January, the Sun Devils had a double-digit lead near the end of the third quarter but committed eight turnovers and allowed 14 foul shots in the fourth quarter, leaving the door open for an eventual Cincinnati comeback.

Additionally, the Bearcats’ defense limited Arizona State to just 4-of-16 shooting from the field in the final quarter, allowing them to offensively outpace the Devils and secure victory.

Heading into Wednesday, Cincinnati looks similar to the team that outlasted ASU last time around, headlined by graduate forward Jillian Hayes. Hayes leads the Bearcats in points and rebounds per game, with 15.7 and 9.5, respectively, on the season.

In January’s contest, Hayes had a team-high 25 points on 6-of-18 shooting from the field and 13-of-21 shooting from the free throw line. As the game went on, the Cincinnati native capitalized on Arizona State’s aggressive interior defense by playing with physicality, inviting foul calls and cashing in the shots off of those. As a result, Sun Devils’ graduate center Neveah Parkinson fouled out while junior forward Kennedy Basham had four personal fouls.

Since then, Arizona State has continued to struggle on the glass and with limiting foul shots, as it has been outrebounded by nearly three boards per game and allows 15 free throws made per game.

A notable difference for the Sun Devils ahead of Wednesday night’s contest is the absence of junior guard Kennedy Fauntleroy, who was ruled out for the rest of the season on Feb. 8 due to an injury. In Arizona State’s previous contest with Cincinnati, Fauntleroy had 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including 3-of-6 from three-point range. Since her injury, ASU has missed both Fauntleroy’s offensive skills as the third-option, but also her standout defense: Fauntleroy is second on the team with 35 steals despite missing the final seven games of the season.

During January’s meeting, the Sun Devils found some offensive success shooting the triple, going 7-for-14 from range. Despite averaging 33.9% from deep on the season and the loss of Fauntleroy, Arizona State possesses the capability to replicate that success. Graduate guard Tyi Skinner leads ASU in three-pointers made with 72 at 37.1% and holds the Sun Devils’ game-high for individual triples made this season with six, accomplished against South Dakota on Nov. 27, 2024, and San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2024.

Sophomore guard Jyah LoVett also bolsters Arizona State’s three-point offense, ranking second on the team in triples made and shooting 36.3% from deep. Though she has not scored in double figures in her past five games, LoVett has the skills to aid Skinner and power an offensive effort from beyond the arc.

As the Sun Devils enter their first Big 12 tournament, playing mistake-free basketball becomes increasingly important in win-or-go-home games. Especially being short-handed, Arizona State likely cannot afford to commit 19 turnovers and 33 personal fouls like it did last time against Cincinnati in Wednesday’s contest.