February of 2020 was the last time Arizona State women’s basketball swept a Pac-12 opponent. On that Sunday afternoon, the Sun Devils beat Washington 72-68 at Desert Financial Arena.
Exactly four years later, facing the same team in the same venue, the same result occurred.
On Friday night, the Sun Devils rallied from behind to beat the Huskies 73-66 in double overtime to sweep their in-conference foe.
“I’ll open it up with what we talked about as a team today before the game started,” Arizona State head coach Natasha Adair said. “On the board, we said team defense, team communication, team toughness, team grit, team discipline, and team focus. I saw that in every aspect in our team today.”
After the game’s opening triple from sophomore guard Elle Ladine, neither team hit a 3-pointer for the rest of the quarter. Additionally, both teams struggled down low and were assessed many shot-clock violations and fouls. The Huskies led 11-9 at the end of the first quarter, which included no points scored in the last 2:30.
The Maroon and Gold continued to struggle scoring, only mustering six second-quarter points. However, the Huskies found their groove. By picking apart Arizona State’s defense and converting lay-ins underneath, the Huskies grew the gap, leading 25-15 at the half.
In the opening 30 minutes, the Sun Devils shot 18% on FG attempts and 0% from 3-point land. Their 15 points were also the second-least in any first half this season.
Adair’s side improved their attack in the third quarter, topping their first-half point total in those 15 minutes. The Sun Devils trusted their guard play and threw numbers forward. Possession remained sloppy for the visitors. But they made simple layups in transition, as they led 39-32 at the end of 45 minutes.
Arizona State made a 14-5 run to start the fourth quarter capped by sophomore guard Jalyn Brown’s layup that gave her team its first lead of the night with 3:04 remaining. Washington regained the edge with two back-to-back triples.
But freshman forward Mallory Miller responded for the Sun Devils. She had a layup followed by two made free throws within the last minute to tie the game at 50 and send it to overtime.
“It is the biggest moment, and it’s a lot of pressure,” said Miller, who played 36 minutes off the bench after replacing sophomore forward Journey Thompson. “But it just goes back to being intentional in practice every day and having that mindset that we’re doing this because we want to simulate what happens in a game.”
The Sun Devils led 55-50 halfway through overtime. But the girls from Seattle responded, with senior forward Lauren Schwartz tying it up with 2.5 seconds left.
Arizona State took full control of the next overtime period, going on a 9-0 run to start it. Once Washington’s offense saw baskets falling its way, it was too late.
Despite a rough first half, the Sun Devils shot around the same as the Huskies. The Maroon and Gold went 30-for-78 on field goals while their opponent went 26-for-79. While Washington attempted 19 more three-pointers, they shot 21% from behind the arc while Arizona State shot 20%.
The visitors also made 64% of their free throws. While they excelled early on, they struggled late, especially in overtime. Meanwhile, the hosts’ free-throw shooting remained consistent, going 67% from the line.
Washington had more points off second chances and on the fast break while winning the assist battle 20-12. But Arizona State scored more points in the paint, winning that contest 42-36. They also won an intense rebound battle 54-51.
Four Sun Devils registered double-digit performances. Sophomore guard Trayanna Crisp scored 23 points and seven rebounds, which are both career highs.
Although her teammates struggled in offensive production early on, Crisp was a steadfast option for Adair, hitting key baskets throughout the game and leading the team’s comeback efforts.
“We all have each others’ back,” Crisp said. “Even in practice when we go against the practice guys, we know that if we’re trailing, we just need to stick together, and I feel like that’s what we did today. We talked about it like you guys saw. Our communication was on fire today.”
Graduate guard Isadora Sousa also had a career-high, with a 16-point performance. She also grabbed a season-high eight rebounds. The Brazilian was also the only player on the court who went perfect on her shot attempts.
Brown also logged 16 points and registered a season-high nine boards. After 24-point and 25-point performances against No. 10 USC and No. 9 UCLA respectfully last weekend, the Louisville transfer did not score in the first half. But she returned to her attacking ways in the second half and overtime.
“When she came (back) in towards the end, we were still putting the ball in other players’ hands; she was just the decoy,” Adair said about Brown. “But we told her before she came back in. You better defend, and you better rebound even if the ball is not dropping for you.”
Senior guard Jaddan Simmons had 10 points after only posting six against UCLA last Sunday. She also tied her season-high seven rebounds.
While Miller did not reach double-digit points, she was fifth in scoring with seven. She also grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds, all on the defensive board.
The Sun Devils (11-14, 3-10 in Pac-12) return to action this Sunday at Noon MST as they host Washington State (15-11, 4-9 in Pac-12) at Desert Financial Arena. In the first meeting on January 19 in Pullman, the Cougars won 79-64.
“We want to protect home court and every game that you play is gonna be super competitive because every game matters,” Adair said. “So, we’ll have to make sure we’re disciplined. Whatever we’re gonna do, we’re gonna do on the defensive end first. But right now, we told the team, we’re gonna enjoy this for a little bit until practice tomorrow.”
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