(Photo via Alyssa Buruato/WCSN)
Following its 91-52 loss to Arizona on Sunday to open its Pac-12 Conference slate, ASU women’s basketball will jump back into non-conference play with a matchup against Fresno State on Wednesday in the Jerry Colangelo Hall of Fame Series at the Footprint Center.
The Sun Devils (7-4, 0-1 Pac-12) are looking for their eighth win, which would tie the number of wins they earned throughout the course of last season. The last time ASU played a non-Pac-12 opponent, the Sun Devils lost for the first time at home in a tight battle with Grand Canyon.
Fresno State (7-5) has had its fair share of ups and downs this season. The Bulldogs also lost to Grand Canyon earlier this season by a score of 55-36. They are coming off a 68-47 home win over Sacramento State in their last time out.
Fresno State’s offense – which averages 67.8 points per game – is led by sophomore forward Mia Jacobs, who leads the Bulldogs in both points and rebounds with 12.2 and 6.6, respectively, per game. Against Sacramento State, Jacobs recorded her second double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
The Bulldogs’ other double-digit scorer is junior guard Keely Brown with 10.4 points. She paces the Bulldogs from beyond the arc with a 40.6% clip from deep this season. She also contributes on defense and adds 1.5 steals per game, a mark good for second-best on the team.
Paired with Brown in the backcourt is freshman guard and two-time Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Week Taija Sta. Maria. She leads Fresno State in assists this season with 4.4 a night while also contributing an average of 9.3 points on offense. Sta. Maria is also Fresno State’s most efficient free throw shooter, having converted 87.1% of her foul shots this year.
As a whole, the Bulldogs’ defense has been stout all season long, as well. They are holding teams to just 60 points per game and forcing almost 20 turnovers per game. They are scoring 22.3 points off the ones they force. The Sun Devils are also efficient at forcing mistakes on defense, causing 16.7 and scoring 16.8 points off them.
Where ASU can benefit, however, is by converting shots when the opportunity arises. Despite the low number of points Fresno State has allowed, its opponents are still shooting over 40% from the field.
Coming into Wednesday’s matchup, the Sun Devils hold a slight advantage in the rebounding game, averaging 36 to the Bulldogs’ 35.1. However, ASU has been outrebounded this season by a margin of 2.4, the same margin with which Fresno State is outrebounding opponents.
Where ASU does hold a true advantage is free throws. Getting to the line is one of ASU’s specialties. They shoot almost 22 per game and make 66.9% of them. Senior guard Jaddan Simmons leads ASU in both of these categories. She is seventh in the nation in free throw attempts and made free throws this season.
A win for ASU on Wednesday would be a step forward from last season, in which ASU didn’t earn its eighth win until its penultimate regular season game. If ASU can overcome its struggles, the Sun Devils will position themselves favorably to finish non-conference play on a high before starting the rest of Pac-12 play in January.
