(Tempe, AZ) Hanging tight with No. 18 Oregon at the half, the Sun Devils couldn’t match the Ducks’ red-hot third quarter, which proved to be the major thorn in their side in an 82-62 loss on Friday evening at Desert Financial Arena.
Down just six points at the break, the Ducks rattled off a 21-5 stretch to begin the third quarter that swelled their lead to more than 20 points. The Sun Devils connected on just 2-of-11 shots to begin the third, having scored four points through the first five minutes.
They were ultimately outscored 27-14 and shot just 30 percent from the floor (6-for-20) in the third.
The Sun Devils showed no quit in the final 10 minutes of play, attacking the Ducks with a barrage of three-pointers. They landed five of eight attempted three-pointers and converted six of their final eight shots.
Four Sun Devils added a fourth-quarter three-pointer, led by a pair from Tyi Skinner. She finished with a game-high 20 points, including four threes, and played all 40 minutes. It’s her sixth game with at least 20 points scored this season.
Treasure Hunt chimed in with a double-double (17 points and 12 rebounds), which included a trio of three-balls.
The Sun Devils kept it to two possessions at the half, thanks to eight points from both Skinner and Hunt. After a three-minute scoring drought to begin the second quarter, Hunt drilled a tough turnaround jumper and Skinner connected on a three-ball, knotting this one at 24-24 halfway through the period.
A Meg Newman layup, made possible by a steal by Jaddan Simmons at halfcourt, pushed the Sun Devils up 26-24 with just over three minutes remaining in the second quarter.
The Ducks responded with an 8-0 run by the Ducks to close out the half, while also holding the Sun Devils scoreless in the final three minutes. After the first 20 minutes of action, the Sun Devils trailed 32-26.
The night began with much promise, as the Sun Devils went step-for-step with the ranked Ducks. Simmons converted a three-point play to open the contest, and Hunt followed it with a four-point play of her own. Skinner connected on her first attempt from beyond-the-arc to send the Sun Devils up 10-3 in the opening acts of the first quarter.
They clung on to an 18-15 lead after the first, made possible by holding the Ducks to just 1-for-9 from the field to begin the contest.
It’s a quick turnaround for the Sun Devils, as they’ll welcome Oregon State on Sunday, with tip-off currently slated for 11 a.m. MST at Desert Financial Arena.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Griffin Fabits
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