(Tempe, AZ) Coming off their first home loss to Kansas State, the Sun Devils 18-5 (5-5) had a golden opportunity to make amends and put themselves back into the NCAA Tournament talk.
Both teams either wore pink shoes or pink jerseys in honor of Breast Cancer survivors and fighters.
In need of a Quad 1 victory, the high scoring Oklahoma State Cowgirls 17-5 and 7-3 in the Big XII came to DFA on a roll after disposing of the Arizona Wildcats on Sunday in Tucson 88-69.
This would be no cake walk for Arzona State and two consecutive losses at home would be devastating with February now upon us. With less that a month to go in the regular season, the Devils had little room for error.
First year Coach Molly Miller knew how important this game was. A win and her team became relevant again, a loss dug the hole a bit deeper.
First Quarter
Almost halfway through the opening quarter, the score was tied at 2-2.
McKinna Brackens scored back to back buckets to start off, but Lena Girardi (Daughter of MLB player/manager Joe Girardi) hit all three free throws after being fouled to put Oklahoma State up 7-4.
Deborah Davenport hit her first three pointer to tie the low scoring game at 7-7 with 2:49 left in the quarter.
The Cowgirls had no idea that Davenport would be a thorn in their side tonight.
OSU led 14-13 after one quarter.
Second Quarter
ASU came out and score a couple of baskets early in the quarter to take a 17-16 lead at the 7:51 mark.
Both teams were playing great defense, but the Cowgirls committed more fouls and found themselves in trouble when their star player Stailee Hear picked up her third foul, putting her on the bench in what seemed forever.
The Sun Devils were in the Bonus less than halfway through the quarter at 5:26.
Davenport continued her stellar performance at this point of the contest was 2-3 in three pointers, 2-2 in field goals and 2-2 on free throws.
Last Tear Poa hit a three point buzzer beater to send the Devils to the locker room up 31-29.
Gabby Elliott went without a single point in the first two quarters and ASU was still ahead by a bucket.
In the first half, there were 9 ties and 13 lead changes as both squads knew the importance of this game.
Third Quarter
Thirty four seconds into the quarter the game was tied 31-31.
Near the midway point of the quarter, Arizona State went on a 6-0 run 44-38. They extended their lead to double digits 53-43 with just 1:40 left.
Each team had still not put the other away and the Cowgirls were ready to stage a comeback down 55-47 with one quarter left.
Fourth Quarter
Oklahoma State hit a three pointer on the first possession that led to a 9-2 run that cut the lead to one point 57-56.
Meanwhile, Davenport kept logging more minutes than she’d had the entire season and contributed to ASU’s bench scoring lead 20-17. She hauled down 9 rebounds and kept the Cowgirls off balance with her 3-4 three point effort and 6-8 overall shooting.
In all, four Sun Devils scored in double figures, but the more importantly, held a Top 15 shooting team to 32% from the field.
Sun Devils redeemed themselves from Sunday’s defeat beating Oklahoma State 74-69.
Wrap Up
This team in spite of the home loss has started to really gel both offensively and defensively. With Davenport going off tonight, that just adds another weapon to the mix.
Brackens led the Devils’ scoring with 20 points, Davenport had 18 with Elliott who chipped in 17 points.
Another key stat was the 77% free throws on 17-22, many in crunch time.
Up Next
ASU travels to Waco Texas to face #15 Baylor University. Game time is 4 p.m. local time.
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