“Gritty win and that’s just what we talked about, find a way to win against a team that went to the postseason a year ago, won 19 games and led by one of their [fifth-year players],” ASU head coach Natasha Adair said. “Offensively and defensively as we are growing as a team, but really proud of how we competed and how we fought to the end.”
Morasha Wiggins (eight points, 4-4 FTs) had an impressive Sun Devil debut after being forced to miss the 2022-23 campaign due to an injury incurred before the start of the season.
“We celebrated her in the locker room [after the game],” Adair said of Wiggins’ return. “She’s worked hard to get back to this moment. She made such an impact and every time it was, are you ok? And she was able to stay a little longer. So just her hard work and dedication to get back to this moment. So very proud of her.”
After leading by as many as 21 in the first half, the Sun Devils maintained a double-digit lead for much of the second half.
The Dons (1-2) got within nine points in the third quarter, but a pair of free throws and a layup by Wiggins and another layup by Maggie Besselink catapulted ASU’s lead back up to 15, 56-41 with 1:13 left in the third quarter.
The Dons got within seven with 3:30 remaining, but a 3-pointer by Crisp at the opposite end gave ASU a 73-63 lead.
Thompson (eight points) and Crisp (six points) combined for 14 of ASU’s 21 points in the fourth quarter.
Toure and Crisp scored six points each to help lead ASU to a 21-11 lead after 10 minutes of play. All six of Crisp’s points came via the long ball. ASU hit three triples in the first quarter. The third of the three 3-pointers, knocked down by Treasure Hunt, gave ASU a 17-11 lead. Jumpers by Toure and Simmons closed ASU’s 7-0 run over the final 53 seconds of the quarter.
After the Dons got within eight points 63 seconds into the second quarter, the Sun Devils ripped off a 13-0 scoring run to lead by as many as 21 after Toure’s layup with 4:54 remaining in the quarter. The 3-pointer Hunt hit in the final minute of the opening frame, started a sequence in which the Sun Devils connected on 71 percent of their shots. For the quarter, they hit 59 percent of their field goal attempts on their way to a 42-27 halftime lead.
Toure scored hit all four of her shots in the second quarter, giving her 14 points at the half to go with six rebounds and three steals. Simmons added nine points, four assists and two blocks.
Monday’s game was the third of three contests ASU played at home to start the 2023-24 season. ASU will begin a sequence that will see it play four of five games away from home when it plays at Grambling (Thursday at 5 p.m. MST/6 p.m. CST). The game is part of the Pac-12-SWAC Legacy Series. Announced in Sept. 2021, the allyship between the Pac-12 and SWAC was the first series of its kind as it pertained to scheduling between Autonomy 5 and HBCU leagues. Each of last year’s games featured programming with emphasis on raising awareness for anti-racism and social justice initiatives. A critical component of the Legacy Series is ongoing educational opportunities for student-athletes featuring community leaders and expert Conference alumni.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Steve Rodriguez
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