Even though the calendar turned to February, not much changed for Arizona State Women’s basketball against BYU. The Sun Devils (8-15, 2-9 Big 12) lost their eighth consecutive game, 77-67, to the Cougars (11-10, 2-8 Big 12).
On paper, the matchup appeared to be a favorable one for ASU. In the midst of its own five-game losing streak, BYU traveled down to Tempe as a seemingly vulnerable team. Still, the Sun Devils couldn’t break their cold spell.
Coach Natasha Adair acknowledged that her team missed a chance to turn the momentum of its season around.
“This stings,” Adair said. “It’s not ok. No disrespect to BYU, but we talk about being ready then next time we have an opportunity, but we’re running out of opportunities.”
Throughout the losing streak, ASU has flashed moments of winning basketball. As a rare bright spot on the floor for the Sun Devils, the guard duo of graduate Tyi Skinner and junior Jalyn Brown continue to prove to be a dynamic backcourt, each dropping more than 20 points in their last game.
However, that production failed to show up against BYU, as the Cougars held them to 13 points each. Brown also struggled with turnovers, leading the team with four, including three travels.
She was not alone in the turnover department; ASU gave the ball up 13 times. The turnover trend has evolved into a season-long problem for the Sun Devils, as they came into the game with an average of 16.1 per game.
The maroon and gold also struggled from beyond the arc, both offensively and defensively. They only made two shots from long distance all game.
On the other hand, BYU found success at the three-point line. It made nine three-pointers, which stood consistent with its 8.2 per game this year.
The Cougars used their three-point shooting prowess to shift the tide of the game. They took a three-point lead into the break, before taking control in the second half.
They won the third quarter 24-16 and splashed a trio of big threes. This provided a momentum shift too big for ASU to overcome.
BYU head coach Amber Whiting was proud of her team’s energy.
“I think that we just settled in and we really shared the ball,” Whiting said. “Having 25 assists on 30 shots that’s really good.”
Meanwhile, Arizona State’s frontcourt failed to keep pace with BYU’s paint players. Junior forward Kennedy Basham and graduate forward Nevaeh Parkinson struggled at times, which caused Adair to give junior forward Heavenly Greer some of her first minutes at center.
The Cougars feasted in the paint, scoring 42 points inside. Freshman guard Kambree Barber recorded her first double-double of her career, which she credited to her supporting cast.
“Tonight, it felt awesome,” Barber said. “I don’t think I could have done it without my teammates.”
While the frontcourt struggled, ASU’s smaller defenders caused problems with their relentless pressure. Adair choosing to play press defense played a big role in forcing 14 turnovers.
“Everyone has to be on time, you know,” Adair said. “So, it’s just being on that defensive string and being together and communicating together every step of the way.”
The bigs did find success offensively, especially Parkinson. She led the team with 17 points. She just had to wait to find her groove.
“They were guarding me pretty hard,” Parkinson said. “But I just have to be patient with myself and just kind of keep my head in the game.”
Basham added seven in her time at center, including five at the free-throw line. The whole team’s greatest success was at the line. The Sun Devils shot 21 of 25 compared to eight of just 13 attempts for BYU.
ASU will need a team effort to break out of this losing streak, which is slowly approaching the double digit mark. The team will try to put it out of its mind before facing rival University of Arizona on Saturday, Feb. 7, at 2 p.m. MST.
“It’s not about U of A right now,” Adair said. “It’s about us. We got to take care of us.”
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