Sun Devils win powered by cohesive third-quarter outing

(Photo via Marina Williams/WCSN)

TEMPE — ASU women’s basketball has come out flat in the second half at several points during the season. The Sun Devils have been outscored 109-83 in the third quarter through their first six games, but in their last three contests, and Friday night’s win over the Pacific Tigers, they have been able to flip that narrative.

ASU shot 11-for-29 from the field in the first half of Friday’s game, were outrebounded 17-25 and entered the second half without a recorded assist or 3-point make. They only scored 28 points in the first half, one of their lowest totals of the season, and only five more points than they mustered in the first half of their 42-point defeat to 10th-ranked Texas.

Despite this, the Sun Devils and Tigers were tied at halftime due to Pacific’s 10 turnovers and an even worse 10-for-30 shooting performance from the field. The Sun Devils had to make adjustments in the second half and take advantage of the Tigers’ poor performance.

“We talked about just defensively, I felt like we were a step slow, I felt like we were a bit reactive,” ASU head coach Natasha Adair said. “Coming out of the locker room I felt like we needed to be more aggressive, we weren’t as aggressive in the first half.”

The Sun Devils posted 27 points and outscored the Tigers by 13 points in the third quarter, their highest total for the quarter this year.

As a team, ASU shot 12-for-20 in the third quarter. Senior guard Jaddan Simmons, who scored a career-best 26 points, and sophomore guard Jalyn Brown, who tied her career-high of 20 points, led the team in scoring with 13 points combined in the quarter, matching the Tigers’ total in the same period.

“We came out (with) a 27-point third, but it was off of our defense,” Adair said. “Being able to get those turnovers, transition points, second chance opportunities, that’s how we’re activated. … I am very proud of our group, for sure. (Brown and Simmons) carried us, but there were so many (contributors).”

The Sun Devils had a terrible tendency of having low energy coming out of the locker room early on; causing them to either find themselves clinging to a slim lead they had established in the first half or relying on a late fourth-quarter spark.

Since their loss to Texas, they have outscored opponents 65-32 in the 3rd quarter, with their victory over the South Florida Bulls being the high point of the run, as they outscored the Bulls 24-6.

“We were just more poised instead of quick offense or everyone taking individual shooting opportunities,” Adair said. “When we are more patient and we are more poised and you see us change sides and really make the defense guard, that’s when we are more effective.”

After a Tiger rally tied the score in the middle of the fourth quarter, ASU eventually won the game 76-66. The Tigers were unable to withstand Simmons’ 10-point fourth frame and the Sun Devils’ 13 free throws made in the quarter as they improved their season record to 7-2.

“It was winning time,” Adair said. “We said we were gonna win on defense. We weren’t playing not to lose. We were doing whatever we needed to do to win. Pacific is a good team, and we knew that coming in, but we knew that we were going to win the game on our defense. We just grinded it out.”