TEMPE – Following a gut-wrenching three-point loss to then-No. 15 Baylor on Saturday, Arizona State bounced back at home on Wednesday night to bolster its NCAA tournament resume.
ASU’s (20-6 overall, 7-6 Big 12) best performance behind the 3-point line (53.8%) since Dec. 21 lifted the Maroon and Gold to its 14th home win of the season, a 71-61 victory over Utah (16-9 overall, 7-6 Big 12).
Three Sun Devils reached double-digit point tallies to help ASU claim its 20th win of the season, a feat that hasn’t been reached since the 2019-2020 season.
“I think the team will enjoy that for a split second, but we want it to be 20 (wins) and counting,” Coach Molly Miller said.
It also marks the first time in program history that a first-year coach reached the 20-win tally.
Over the last three games, in which ASU has dropped two contests, Miller emphasized a desire for her team to reestablish its dominance on the defensive end. In the first quarter against Utah, the Maroon and Gold responded to their coach, forcing the Utes to commit seven turnovers, compared to the Sun Devils two.
However, the Maroon and Gold only capitalized on the giveaways on one possession, as the other six came up scoreless. Graduate guard and leading scorer Gabby Elliott (17 ppg) finished the first quarter scoreless, shooting 0-for-6 from the floor.
“For me to start off slow, and my coach is still looking to go to me, that’s something that I feed off of,” Elliott said. “As long as coach (has) got the confidence in me, I (have) got the confidence to shoot the ball.”
Junior forward McKinna Brackens uplifted the slow first-quarter offense, scoring seven straight to cap off a 15-point first quarter.
In the second quarter, Elliott returned to the norm in the scoring department, as she hit both of her attempts from the 3-point line to lead the Maroon and Gold’s scoring in the quarter.
Meanwhile, Utah senior guard Lani White led the charge for the Utes with eight points in the second quarter, seven coming from a solo run that was capped off by a second-chance 3-pointer.
“Pressure is a privilege,” Miller said. “It’s opportunity, meets exposure, meets growth.”
The second half began with a 3-pointer from senior guard Marley Washenitz, which extended the lead to six.
Utah followed with a game-tying 9-3 run. However, a Brackens and-1 play revived the lead and kick-started a 13-4 run onward, which capped the third quarter with the Sun Devils up by nine.
“I thought our pressure turned them up a bit,” Miller said in reference to Utah’s 21 total turnovers. “We just gotta keep our brand the brand.”
Elliott kicked off the fourth quarter with a lead-extending mid-ranger, only for the Utes to repeat history by following with a 7-0 run to bring the lead within four.
A 10-point fourth quarter from Elliott livened the crowd, especially with the announcement of Elliott’s 500 career rebound mark echoing from the voice of the public address announcer.
With momentum back in Sparky’s favor, the Sun Devil managed to secure an important victory against another team vying for a spot in the NCAA tournament.
“I believe that was two NCAA tournament teams going at it tonight,” Miller said. “They were 8-1 on the road, so that’s a big win for us.”
With the regular season dwindling down, Arizona State will need to continue to strengthen its resume. The return of senior guard Makayla Moore should help its cause, as she saw the court for the first time since a Dec. 14 matchup at Oregon State.
“Nobody sees those unseen hours of all the things she did, and she did it double time to get back on the court for her senior season,” Miller said. “She’s looking great at practice, I’m really excited for her.”
Up next, Miller’s squad will head down south Saturday to take on in-state rival Arizona in the McKale Center at noon MST.
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