This article was originally published on January 28, 2023.
Arizona State (7-13, 0-9 Pac-12) rallied too late Friday night as Washington State (14-6, 4-5 Pac-12) escaped with a 61-57 win in Desert Financial Arena.
The game had two separate halves that felt like two completely different games, with the first half being miserable for both the Devils and Cougars. The second half felt like a breath of fresh air, as both teams seemed to come out of their locker rooms with renewed spirits.
The first half of the game was a battle to see who could get the lid off of their rim first, as several shots in the first two quarters could be wide-open layups, and still not find the bottom of the net.
The constant struggle to communicate with each other put ASU in spots to make several mistakes as a very tough WSU defense pressured the Sun Devils to make tough shots and turn the ball over almost every offensive possession.
When it comes to WSU offense, ASU barely had to try as almost any shot in the paint from Washington State somehow rolled off the rim. The Cougars found their main success in 3-point shooting, which the Sun Devils were simply unable to guard as WSU let it rain in the first half.
The Cougars ended the game 8-of-16 from the perimeter, with five of them coming from the first half. ASU had a different shooting performance, as they ended 1-of-16 from the three.
Transition defense for Arizona State was also a struggle, allowing WSU to make their only shots in the paint while they have the numbers off the fastbreak.
The first half never saw a Sun Devil lead, as WSU ended the 2nd quarter with a lead of 28-19.
The Sun Devils came into the second half on a mission. Junior guard Jaddan Simmons left the first half with only 4 points in the game but ended the second with 20 total points.
ASU started to push full-court pressure, forcing the Cougars into making mistakes. Suddenly the lead began to dwindle as graduate center Kayla Mokwuah had two huge blocks in the second half, pushing the pace on defense.
It looked like a new game had begun, as fans of both squads had something more to cheer for: a tight ball game. The Devils were getting to the free throw line on and-one opportunities or off of shooting fouls committed by the Cougars in just about every offensive possession ASU had.
“We just talked about being aggressive. We’re a team that can get to the free throw line, and we didn’t have any,” ASU coach Natasha Adair said. “You saw us pick it up, and be more aggressive. Coming out of the gate, we weren’t as aggressive offensively.”
The game came back within 43-41 at the end of the third quarter, with the Sun Devils down just 2 points. Hope was in sight with the fourth quarter coming up while ASU held all of the momentum.
The final quarter only had 12 total made shots between the two teams, as both the Devils and Cougars dug their heels in for a defensive battle that came down to who could rebound the ball.
At one point, ASU finally got to their first lead of the game in the fourth with the score being 55-54 with just under four minutes to go in the game. Unfortunately for the Sun Devils, they would go on to experience a scoring drought for the next three minutes and 27 seconds.
As Washington State would also never score a field goal for the remainder of the night, they did manage to win the game off of their free throws, moving the Sun Devils to 0-9 in Pac-12 Conference play.
The story of the night however was the Cougars’ star player, junior guard Charlisse Leger-Walker, being held to just 4-14 from the field. She is someone who is typically known to average nearly 20 points per night.
“Jaddan Simmons, that’s the strategy. Jaddan is relentless defensively, she gives us balance on both sides of the ball,” Adair said. “We know if we need someone to shut down their premier player, Jaddan never shies away from that assignment.”
The Sun Devils will continue seeking their first conference win against Washington on Sunday.
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