(Photo via Nick Karmia/WCSN)
TEMPE — ASU women’s basketball had a battle early Sunday afternoon against California (13-8, 3-6 Pac-12 Conference), and it was a dogfight from beginning to end. It was all done on the defense for the Sun Devils starting early.
ASU came out aggressive on the perimeter, recording five steals and a charge just in the first quarter. Sophomore guard Trayanna Crisp led the way offensively, carving her way through the paint and scoring eight points around the rim.
Senior forward Michelle Oniyah had a monster first quarter for California, recording four points, six rebounds and two blocks. Two of those points came from a last-second layup at the buzzer to cut the Golden Bears’ deficit to four.
The Sun Devils continued to pick up offensive momentum in the second quarter. Sophomore guard Jalyn Brown led the way for ASU, scoring eight points in the quarter and answering every push the Golden Bears made.
“I know I can make the shots that I take, so I’m going to keep shooting them,” Brown said. “When you have teammates find you, when you have teammates that you know that if you miss the shot, they will have your back, and at the end of the day, that motivates me more, and I understand when my team needs a bucket, so I wasn’t going to let Cal get back into it, and that was just my job.”
The Golden Bears continued to be a thorn in the side of the Sun Devils, as they came out hot in the third quarter. After finding some easy buckets around the rim, Cal’s favorite shot, the deep ball, started finding the bottom of the net.
Senior guards Ionna Krimili and Leilani McIntosh for Cal combined for five 3-pointers in the third, helping the Bears chip away at ASU’s lead. Senior guard Isadora Sousa was on fire behind the arc herself in the third, going 2-for-2 from downtown, and hitting a deep three at the buzzer to help propel ASU to a seven-point lead heading into the final quarter.
Even after playing every minute in the game to this point, Brown’s number was called again after Cal started the fourth with three quick layups. Brown finished a tough layup, then a few possessions, later buried a three to give ASU a six-point lead.
“I think we’ve been preparing for it, so when we are put in these positions, it’s not very different,” Brown said. “You understand you have a game to win, so you can’t cave into fatigue in those moments, and you have to understand what you are here to do.”
After some great closing defense anchored by sophomore forward Journey Thompson, senior guard Jaddan Simmons sealed the deal from the free throw line to give ASU the 76-71 win.
The Sun Devils will look ahead to Arizona as they will travel down to Tucson for their second matchup of the year next Sunday.
“We have confidence from experience,” head coach Natasha Adair said. “You know when we talk about a new group, … this is a group that is just gelling, and I think that confidence going into our next game … regardless of who it is … is based on where we are as a team. … It’s not a matter of the school down south. I think it is more about who we are … and how we are growing to face any opponent, whoever is next.”
