Sun Devils pick up key win before daunting Thanksgiving contests

(Photo via Julia Coyne/WCSN)

TEMPE — After a brief road trip to Louisiana, ASU women’s basketball returned to Desert Financial Arena to host the Idaho State Bengals for the fifth time in program history.

The Sun Devils improved to 5-0 in the all-time series against the Bengals via a 72-40 victory Sunday evening. With the win, ASU bounces back into the win column and moves to 4-1 on the young season, adding a crucial win before a tough upcoming schedule at the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas.

The Sun Devils jumped out to an early lead with an 11-1 run to start the first quarter, a lead they maintained for the rest of the game. Idaho State could not get many shots to fall during the first half, going just 6-of-34 from the field. This resulted in a 32-15 Sun Devil lead at the break. The second half was slightly kinder to the Bengals, as they went 10-of-22. Idaho State was also limited to just 2-of-11 shooting from the three-point line.

The Sun Devils were very sound offensively, shooting 41.5% from the field and 5-of-16 from deep. They also shot 74.2% from the free throw line, a significant improvement from their performance against Grambling State on Thursday.

In addition to moving the ball well, ASU was able to turn defense into offense by adding 21 points scored off turnovers. Once again, the Sun Devils’ depth was on display, as head coach Natasha Adair’s squad added 24 points off the bench.

Sophomore guard Trayanna Crisp led the charge offensively for the Sun Devils, posting a career-high 17 points and six assists. She shot 5-of-9 from the field, including two 3-pointers, and she was perfect on five tries from the free-throw line. Crisp did most of her damage during the first half, but she added six of her points during the third and fourth quarters.

“It started on defense, honestly,” Crisp said. “I feel like that just allowed me to get out in transition and allowed me to get to the hoop and then get my three-ball falling.”

Fellow sophomore and forward Journey Thompson had 12 points while using her dominant mid-range shot to go 5-of-7 from the field. While Thompson may have scored in double figures, her most important contribution was arguably her defense. She had five rebounds and a block while guarding players down low in the post and around the perimeter.

In addition to the sophomore duo, senior forward Maggie Besselink had a tremendous impact on Sunday’s contest. She tallied 10 points and hauled in seven boards during the Sun Devil victory. Besselink’s performance helped alleviate the pressure of a cold night from scoring leaders senior guard Jaddan Simmons and sophomore forward Kadidia Toure.

“(Besselink’s) a leader, and she probably doesn’t even know that (her teammates) think of her as such … but it’s just with her work ethic, her dedication every day,” Adair said. “She would rather celebrate her teammates than herself, but she’s efficient. She works, and she wants it, and so just for her to work so hard to get back to this moment, she doesn’t take any day, any opportunity for granted, and I couldn’t be prouder of her and her effort and how hard she has competed thus far.”

After missing the Sun Devils’ last two games due to injury, sophomore guard Jalyn Brown returned to the court on Sunday. The Louisville transfer did not have her best game, but her return is a good sign for an ASU team that benefits from having as many scoring options as possible.

After the game, Adair credited the Sun Devils’ win to their collective hard work during practice, something her ASU team will look to continue to do as they head to the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands for a trio of challenging matchups.

“Such a team effort from start to finish,” Adair said after the win. “For us, it was about growth, and just putting together 40-plus, 40 full minutes, and we started it on the defense, and we finished it on the defense, and so very proud of how we responded, and excited about the momentum that we can carry into the Virgin Islands.”