The Arizona State Sun Devils (11-15, 3-11 Pac-12) looked to build off of their Friday night win over Washington with another victory against Washington State (16-11, 5-9 Pac-12) on Sunday afternoon.
Arizona State came out flat on both sides of the ball as the Cougars looked like a team who were prepared and more aggressive as they handed ASU a crushing 73-46 loss.
“It was our energy and our effort. It was not where we normally see it today,” ASU head coach Natasha Adair said. “From the tip to the final buzzer I just felt our defensive effort was not us and was not what you just saw on Friday.”
The Sun Devils look discombobulated offensively shooting an abysmal 20% from the field in the first quarter as they found themselves trailing 16-8.
Arizona State did not look like a team whose mind was focused on the game. It was a combination of missed assignments and failing to play structurally sound that made it a very frustrating afternoon for ASU.
Washington State excelled in forcing turnovers by making ASU feel uncomfortable with the basketball and did not allow the Sun Devils to have any time and space.
The second quarter was better for ASU as they started to find their rhythm offensively, outscoring the Cougars 13-10; however, they still found themselves trailing 26-21 at the half.
ASU was led by a pair of sophomore guards, Trayanna Crisp, who tallied 14 points, and Jalyn Brown, who had 10.
The Cougar’s three-point shooting is what really cemented the win as they went 10-21 from deep for 47%. Defending the three-point shot was a problem that ASU couldn’t seem to fix as they allowed the Cougars multiple open looks.
“There were transition moments where teams don’t really score on transition on us and they did,” Adair said. “It was just like we were a step slow and you can’t be a step slow.”
The start of the third quarter was more of the same for the Sun Devils as they struggled to shoot the basketball and play defense. ASU shot 19-64 from the field on the afternoon, and it was a big reason why they could never sustain any momentum with the Cougars leading 46-39 heading into the fourth quarter.
The defensive effort was not there from the Sun Devils the entire afternoon, especially when it mattered most in the fourth quarter, with ASU giving up 27 to end the game with a 73-46 loss.
“Transition threes those aren’t okay,” said Adair. “A contested three where you’re there that’s a tough shot, but there were just moments where I thought in transition where we brought it back and tied it up, and then they go on a five-point swing.”
Arizona State will look to regroup and come up with a better effort against California (15-11, 5-9 Pac-12) Feb. 23, with tip-off set to start at 8 p.m. MST.
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