(TEMPE, AZ) Tyi Skinner (26 points) and Jalyn Brown (25 points) both came through with marquee performances as the duo combined for 51 points in the Sun Devil women’s basketball team’s 80-73 win over SMU on the first day of the annual Briann January Classic.
In addition to their high point totals, both Skinner (8-16 FGs, 5-10 3FGs) and Brown (10-18 FGs, 3-7 3FGs) were efficient with their opportunities as they teamed up to shoot 53 percent (18-34 FGs) from the field, including 47 percent (8-17) from long range. Brown also led the team with five assists.
Jyah LoVett was responsible for 15 of ASU’s 21 bench points while Jazion Jackson (game-high 13 rebounds and team-high four steals), Nevaeh Parkinson (12 rebounds) and Kennedy Basham (nine rebounds) helped ASU (2-2) finish plus-11 on the boards (46-35).
Both offenses took a little while to get warmed up as the two teams combined for 15 points (SMU 8-7) over the first five minutes of the game. The Mustangs (2-2) led by as many as five (12-7) before the Sun Devils scored seven of the last 10 points of the quarter to pull within one, 15-14.
Brown accounted for all but three of ASU’s points in the first quarter. The junior guard connected on 5-of-6 from the floor while the rest of the team was a combined 1-of-7.
The Sun Devils were firing on all cylinders in the second quarter, making 53 percent of their shots (8-15 FGs), including 50 percent of their 3-pointers (4-8). ASU took advantage of every opportunity to score as it also knocked down all seven of its free throw attempts. Skinner (12 points) and Brown (eight points) combined to score 20 of ASU’s 27 points in the quarter. With the score tied at 22-22, Brown hit a triple to ignite a 17-4 run. The Sun Devils led by the same margin at the half (41-29). ASU outscored SMU 27-14 in the second frame, the most points (+13) it has outscored a team in a quarter this season.
ASU was every bit as effective on the defensive end where it forced the Mustangs into a 36 percent shooting effort for the quarter.
After allowing Grand Canyon to come back from 12 down on Thursday, the Sun Devils did not let up the entire second half on Saturday. SMU trimmed ASU’s lead to eight a number of times in the final 20 seconds and got as close as six three times. After the Mustangs scored the first points of the final quarter to get within six, the Sun Devils answered with a 9-3 run to once again take a double-digit lead.
ARIZONA STATE QUOTES
Head Coach Natasha Adair
Opening Statement: “We talked about [playing] 40 full minutes and we saw 40 full minutes. Before the game, we talked about the talent, the team and what we were building and you saw it. You saw it in how we played together, you saw it in how we shared the ball, but most importantly, what impressed me was our defense. That’s something that we have really been honing in on and you saw 40 full minutes of it and the result, we got the win.”
On the 27-point second quarter: “We wanted to keep our foot on the gas. We weren’t satisfied and it was just in rhythm. I just thought it was just the flow of the game. We really didn’t say that was the number we wanted, we just talked about the execution of the offense.”
On what the team may have done differently shooting from distance: “I think they’re just warming up. It’s the same shots but the more reps. I think it was just more in the context of the office. We were ready to shoot, we were in rhythm to shoot, and so I thought it was just more being balanced and ready. So, I don’t think it was anything that we did differently. These are the shots that they take every day, but I thought it was within the offense, so they were ready to shoot.”
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Steve Rodriguez
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