(Photo credit Aishling Cavanaugh/WCSN)
As the calendar flips to 2025, Arizona State women’s basketball will continue its maiden voyage through the tricky Big 12 Conference with a tough matchup against Texas Tech University on New Year’s Day.
The Sun Devils wrapped up 2024 and their non-conference slate on Monday, with a victory over the University of Pennsylvania behind 22 points from graduate center Nevaeh Parkinson.
ASU will begin the new year with its Big 12 home opener against the Lady Raiders for their fifth meeting all-time and the first in 12 years.
Texas Tech comes into Tempe on a three-game win streak amidst its third consecutive start of 12-2 or better under fifth-year head coach Krista Gerlich. Gerlich played in 126 games over four years from 1989-93 for the Lady Raiders, starting 34 games next to WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes for the 1992-93 team that captured the program’s first national championship. In her five years in charge of the program she once starred for, Gerlich has turned TTU into a perennial threat for the Big 12 Championship.
The Lady Raiders have ridden a smothering and pesky defense to much of their early season success, consistent with the defense-first identity Gerlich has established within the program. TTU blitzes ball screens and traps ball handlers aggressively, playing a frenzied style that forces 21.36 turnovers per game, which is second in the Big 12.
Junior guard Jasmine Shavers leads her team with 2.1 steals per game. The Mesquite, Texas, native will likely be matched up with Sun Devil graduate guard Tyi Skinner in a matchup that could serve as the lynchpin for success for either team on Wednesday afternoon.
Inside, the Lady Raiders’ defense remains just as strong. Texas Tech is fourth in the Big 12 with 5.8 blocks per game with junior forward Sarengbe Sanogo leading the way. The 6-foot-3 French international averages 1.9 blocks per game and will have the tall – literally – task of rim-protecting against an ASU team that finds a majority of their offensive success from inside the paint. ASU is right behind the Lady Raiders with 5.1 blocks per game which is fifth in the Big 12.
Offensively, TTU is led by their backcourt of Shavers and junior guard Bailey Maupin. The duo averages 15.1 and 13.9 points per game, respectively, with Maupin taking on more of a facilitator role alongside Shavers, who shoots a high volume from the field. Neither player shoots the 3-ball exceptionally well, which reflects the team’s lackluster overall percentage of 31.8, ranking them 11th in the Big 12 and one spot ahead of the Sun Devils.
Shavers is an inefficient scorer, shooting under 40% from the field, but a scorer nonetheless; the junior has had the hot hand in a number of close wins for Texas Tech this season and will be a challenge defensively for the ASU backcourt as it adjusts to the high quality and toughness of its new conference.
On the glass, the Sun Devils hold the advantage over the Lady Raiders, averaging 39 rebounds per game to Texas Tech’s 35. ASU is a tall team, and head coach Natasha Adair will likely start the towering duo of 6-foot-7 junior forward Kennedy Basham and the 6-foot-3 Parkinson on Wednesday after their strong performances in Monday’s win.
Battling on the boards with the Sun Devils will be a lot to ask of the Lady Raiders, especially junior forward Kilah Freelon, who leads Texas Tech with 4.3 rebounds despite standing at just 6-foot-1.
After ending 2024 on a high note, Adair’s ASU squad will face a legitimate test in the scrappy Lady Raiders to begin the new year. Still, the game should be far from a walkover for the Sun Devils. The two teams have very similar profiles: inside-out on offense, hectic and frenzied on defense.
Texas Tech will hold the advantage on paper, but in the comfort of Desert Financial Arena and riding a wave of confidence after its Monday night win, ASU will have its chances to steal a home win against a conference foe, especially if Skinner and backcourt running-mate sophomore guard Jyah LoVett can handle the Lady Raider pressure.
