TEMPE — Coming off a thrilling win at home, Arizona State came out with a burst of energy, especially on the glass, to capture an 81-54 win over Utah Tech.
The Sun Devils outrebounded the Trailblazers by a whopping 62-36 margin and outscored Utah Tech 40-26 in the paint to cruise to their sixth-straight victory to start the season.
Their dominance in the paint carried over to the defensive end. In the first half, they held the Trailblazers to 24% from the field and a 0% mark from behind the arc. The Sun Devils also locked down senior guard Kaylee Borden to just eight points and 4-for-13 from the field.
“Really just keep them there,” Elliott said. “[We] know that threes can change the game quickly, so not to be satisfied of course. I think that was the biggest thing, like, kudos to what we did, but know that hitting a couple threes can change the game, and that is not what we want to happen.”
The second half was no different. Utah Tech slightly improved its shooting to 35% from the field and 38% from three, but was mostly stifled by a stingy ASU defense that protected the rim down low.
Arizona State continued to shine on the glass, outrebounding the Trailblazers 27-22 in the final 20 minutes. Coach Molly Miller highlighted the importance of controlling the paint.
“Our emphasis this game was (to) play inside out,” Miller said. “We wanted to establish the interior early with El (Heloisa Carrera) and (McKinna) Brackens, and they did that. Then, we got to play out of doubles a little bit better.”
Looking to extend their winning streak, the Maroon and Gold will next take the court early Friday morning, as they take on the Little Rock Trojans at Desert Financial at 10:30 a.m. MST.
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