Women’s Basketball: Sun Devils move on after a big second half against Nebraska

(Photo: Alexander Gaul/WCSN)

With a big second half and four players in double figures, the ASU women’s basketball team took down the Nebraska Cornhuskers 73-62 in the first round of the NCAA tournament in Austin, Texas.

ASU junior forward Kianna Ibis and sophomore guard Robbi Ryan combined for 30 points, and the Sun Devils grabbed the reigns in Saturday’s game after being tied at halftime.

“As the game went on, we settled down,” Ryan said. “We got better looks and played better together, and I think that was the difference.”

In the first half, No. 7 ASU and No. 10 Nebraska got off to a seesaw affair. The biggest lead between both sides was four points, and the teams continued to exchange blows in a tightly contested game.

Ibis tallied eight points in the first 20 minutes of action while Ryan dropped in eight points of her own, and Ibis, the Nebraska native, stood out in front of her in-state school who recruited her coming out of high school.

“We just wanted to stay aggressive on offense,” Ibis said. “We just went at them, and we don’t want to be boxed out, and we just went around them (on the glass).”

Nebraska had a higher field goal percentage than the Sun Devils at the half, but ASU was able to squander that margin by imposing their will under the basket.

ASU outrebounded the Cornhuskers 49-27, and they controlled the offensive boards by outrebounding Nebraska 21-8, with key efforts from junior forward Sophia Elenga and sophomore forward Jamie Ruden.

“I think it’s a big credit to our coaches,” Ruden said of ASU’s effort. “They were on us that we needed to really lock in.”

Coming out of the locker room in the second half, ASU laid down the hammer. Midway through the third quarter, the Sun Devils went on a run and never looked back.

With a complete team effort, ASU went on a 16-2 run to end the third quarter, and they dug in on both sides of the ball.

While continuing to own the glass, ASU also locked in on Nebraska redshirt senior guard Janay Morton.

After dropping 12 points in the first half, Morton recorded finished the game with 16 points, and the Sun Devils were able to buy in defensively to try and limit the veteran scorer.

Going into the NCAA tournament, Nebraska was coming off of a drastic turnaround. After going 8-22 last season, the Cornhuskers flipped the script, going 21-10 in the Big 10 to earn a No. 10 seed in the Big Dance this year.

With a valiant effort and a well-balanced attack, Nebraska competed with ASU, but the Sun Devils second half ultimately ended up being the difference.

Up next, ASU will take on the winner between No. 2 Texas and No. 15 Maine for a chance to reach the Sweet 16.

If Texas defeats Maine, ASU will have to knock off the Longhorns on their home floor. But with a core returning class of sophomores that were in the same situation last season at this time, the Sun Devils will look to grow, and take the next step into the ranks of college basketball’s elite.

The team to reach the Sweet 16 in Kansas City will be determined on Monday night, and ASU will be locked in for a spot to try and advance to the round of 16. A tip-off time has yet to be determined.

“I’m excited. Excited that they (ASU) get to keep playing. And I always tell them that the first game is the hardest because you just have the first-game jitters a little bit too,” ASU head coach Charli Turner Thorne said. “But really proud of this team to settle down, got the offense going and credit Nebraska for not really ever going away … You know, we were definitely rusty, but so excited to be still alive.”