SANTA CLARA, Calif — Both coming off victories, Arizona State women’s basketball and Santa Clara looked to continue their respective winning streaks on Sunday afternoon.
The Sun Devils, playing their second road game, proved much more physical than the Broncos, outrebounding them by a whopping 59-29 margin to secure an 82-77 win over Santa Clara.
ASU quickly controlled the paint, outrebounding the Broncos 27-11 in the first half to pair with its 30 points in the paint. The Sun Devils were also very efficient shooting, as they shot 59.4% from the field, while also shooting 75% from behind the arc.
Arizona State also played strong defense in the first 20 minutes, holding Santa Clara to a 35.3% shooting and 34.8% from three.
ASU coach Molly Miller applied the heat with her press defense, which forced seven turnovers, leading to 12 points off Broncos giveaways. After playing a near-perfect first half, the Sun Devils entered the break up 50-37.
However, once the Sun Devils came back for the second half, momentum shifted in the opposite direction.
ASU only scored 12 points in the third quarter, while the Broncos scored 20 points. The Sun Devils shot an abysmal 28.6% and 0-for-4 from three.
Santa Clara entered the second half with its foot on the gas, shooting 40% from the field and 33.3% from three. Graduate student forward Sophie Glancey led the way with 11 points in the quarter, which helped cut the lead to five entering the fourth. Glancey finished the game with 17 points, eight rebounds and one assist.
Additionally, junior guard Maia Jones came out in the fourth quarter, shooting 75% from three. Jones helped the Broncos stay in the game with her 20 points, one rebound, and one steal. And, after erasing a double-digit deficit, a second-chance bucket from junior forward Ava Schmidt tied the game at 70-70 at the 3:57 mark.
Yet, the Sun Devils found a way to regain control down the stretch, in large part due to the play of fifth-year guard Gabby Elliott. She logged an impressive stat line of 20 points, 16 rebounds and five assists. Alongside her, junior forward McKinna Brackens recorded 23 points and 11 rebounds, helping close out a tough 82-77 win over Santa Clara.
Up next, the Maroon and Gold head back to Desert Financial Arena, as they’re set to host the UNLV Rebels, on Saturday, November 22, at 2:00 p.m. MST.
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