After losing 91-52 to their in-state rivals on Sunday, the Arizona State Sun Devils needed a response.
They answered with a physical 80-76 win over the Fresno State Bulldogs on Wednesday afternoon at Footprint Center in Phoenix to tie their win total from last season.
“Before the game, we talked about toughness and putting together 40 full minutes,” Sun Devils head coach Natasha Adair said. “I was super proud of everyone’s contributions.”
The Sun Devils trailed for the majority of the first quarter. That was until sophomore forward Kadidia Toure’s layup with 1:51 left gave the Maroon and Gold a 17-16 advantage. They led 19-18 at the end of 10 minutes.
Despite the Bulldogs taking the lead out of the break, Adair’s side regained it with junior forward Sandra Magolico’s layup with 5:51 left in the half.
Arizona State used 6-0 runs at the end of the second and third quarters to bolster their advantage. They led 39-33 at halftime and 58-50 entering the final 10 minutes.
However, Fresno State went on a 16-6 run in the opening minutes of the fourth to take the lead. But the Sun Devils answered with an 11-2 run to lead 75-68.
Senior guard Jaddan Simmons clinched the victory for her team with two free throws with six seconds left.
It was a historic day for Simmons, who reached 1,000 career points with the Sun Devils. Simmons’ teammates congratulated her with a postgame water bottle shower.
“I’ve been a Sun Devil for a while, so just doing it in this jersey, I’m just thankful,” said Simmons, who had 10 points and her fourth-consecutive double-digit performance. “I’m thankful for my coaches and teammates that support me. They got hype on the bench and that meant a lot to me.”
Additionally, three other starters reached double-digits. It was the first time this occurred since the beginning of the season, when the phenomenon occurred in the first four games.
Toure starred in the quartet. The James Madison transfer tied her season record with the Sun Devils, registering 22 points off the bench.
“It was a great opportunity,” Toure said about playing in Footprint Center, home of the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury. “Just seeing all the greats play in that gym and be able to play in there was super cool.”
Two sophomores, guard Trayanna Crisp and forward Journey Thompson, also hit double digits. Crisp had 14 points, including a clutch triple with 2:06 left to extend the lead to 7. Thompson had 10 points.
Fresno State remained fervent in long-range shooting. They sunk 12 triples on 25 attempts.
The Bulldog’s sophomore forward Mia Jacobs led the way with 7/11 behind the arc. She finished the day with a career-high 31 points. Junior forward Sydney Dethman followed with a career-high 21 points.
On the other hand, Arizona State’s scrappiness shined. They scored 50 points in the paint and remained physical on both sides of the ball. Also, the Sun Devils forced 16 turnovers while only committing five.
The Sun Devils (8-4) return to action on Dec. 30 at 1 p.m. MST as they host the Santa Clara Broncos (10-3) at Desert Financial Arena.
While they played well, Adair said there were still fixable changes within her unit.
“This is great film,” Adair said. “Anytime you can go back from a win, cut up the film, and look at teachable moments. But those are things that they already knew about when they got back in that locker room and talked that we needed to improve.”
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