With just two games left in the regular season, Arizona State (9-20, 3-14 Big 12) came into Wednesday night looking to build on the momentum it cultivated with a win on Saturday over Brigham Young. Unfortunately for Natasha Adair’s Sun Devils, her team emerged with very few positives in their trip up to Boulder.
Going into its game against Colorado (18-10, 10-8 in Big 12) ASU women’s basketball experienced its fair share of struggles against teams over .500, holding a measly 5-16 record over such teams. Those woes were exacerbated against the Buffaloes, as the Devils dropped their 20th game of the season in an 89-54 drubbing.
Both teams struggled getting it going early, starting a combined 3-13 from the field.
The shooting hardships continued for the Maroon and Gold throughout the first quarter, with the squad shooting just 30% from the field and 20% from three.
Additionally, ASU struggled to grab rebounds, as the Buffaloes demolished the Sun Devils on the offensive glass. Colorado grabbed a staggering 14 offensive boards, which led to several second chance opportunities down the stretch.
On a more positive note for ASU, senior guard Tyi Skinner provided the highlight of the night for the road squad when she tallied her first block of the season early in the second quarter. Standing in at 5 feet 5 inches tall, Skinner soared into the air to for an impressive swat to erase 6-foot-3 sophomore forward Ayianna Johnson’s shot.
While the rest of the team struggled offensively, ASU junior guard Jalyn Brown got into a rhythm in the second quarter. She scored seven of the Sun Devils’ nine points in the period.
Despite the team struggling to put up points and scoring their third lowest point total of the season, Brown had a big impact in the scoring department. She matched her season average of 17 points while recording three assists.
Things didn’t get much better for Sparky in the second half. Colorado opened up the third quarter with a 7-0 run, scoring most of its points off costly ASU turnovers.
Senior guard Kindyll Wetta played a massive role in the third quarter avalanche for the Buffaloes, which saw her reach her season high of 12 points. She capped her stellar night by drilling a shot from outside the arc to put the exclamation point on the Colorado win. It stood as special moment for Wetta considering it was senior night for the Buffs.
Colorado continued to pummel ASU in the third quarter, outscoring it 29-11 en route to building a 39-point lead heading into the final 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, the consistent theme of the Devils’ frontcourt being in foul trouble persisted on the road. Junior forward Kennedy Basham and senior center Nevaeh Parkinson both picked up their third fouls of the night in the fourth frame.
Another critical factor in the ASU loss was the Buffaloes’ scorching hot shooting down the stretch. They shot 50% from behind the arc while hitting 10 threes on the night.
Also, turnovers once again cost the Sun Devils, as they gave the ball away 14 times, which allowed Colorado to get out and run offensively. This propelled the Buffs to score their third highest point total of the season.
Only one game remains for the Devils before the Big 12 tournament. They’ll attempt to defend home court against rival Arizona (18-12, 9-8 in Big 12) on Saturday, March 1st at 4 p.m. MST in ASU’s senior night.
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