Sun Devils win shootout and topple Ducks

The No. 15 Arizona State women’s basketball team simply refuses to stay down. Once again, the Sun Devils pulled off a narrow victory, defeating the Oregon Ducks, 97-94.

Oregon brought the NCAA’s No. 1 scoring offense into Wells Fargo Arena, averaging just under 96 points per game.

Freshman Ducks’ guard Chrishae Rowe finished the game with 39 points to lead Oregon, after a 23-point second half effort. Rowe also led the Ducks with 16 points in the first half, going 7 of 7 from the free-throw line.

Junior Sun Devil guard Promise Amukamara was matched up on Rowe at different points throughout the game.

“(Rowe) is a great player, she made some tough shots. I had my hands straight up, she was hitting shots over me,” Amukamara said.

“We’ve got to do a lot better job on her next time,” ASU head coach Charli Turner Thorne said.

Oregon sophomore forward Jillian Alleyne, who leads the nation with 15.7 rebounds per game, was limited to only 12 boards.

“We knew she’s a great rebounder so it’s just a matter of (if) we box her out and make sure she doesn’t get a lot of offensive rebounds,” ASU center Joy Burke said.

Allenye picked up her fourth foul with 11 minutes left in the second half, and the Sun Devils took advantage.

“We said catch it, take your time, and finish because she was obviously trying really hard to not to foul out,” Turner Thorne said. “We kept over-loading the floor and going inside.”

Burke finished the game with a 22 points and 15 rebounds, both career-highs for the redshirt senior.

“I just credit my teammates and my coaches, they work tirelessly on preparing me,” Burke said. “It has never really been about stats, it’s about whatever it takes for my team to win.”

Redshirt senior guard Deja Mann was able to hit her targets consistently in the passing game, as she racked up 10 assists.

ASU will welcome in-state rival Arizona into Wells Fargo Arena on Tuesday, Feb. 4 to play their third game in five days.

The Sun Devils are now 10-0 in games decided by five or less and/or in overtime.

“That’s kind of the story of this team. We find a way to win and different people step up on different games,” Turner Thorne said. “It’s kind of who we are and it’s working,”

You can reach Katy Burge on Twitter @KatyBurge or via email at katy.burge@asu.edu

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