IOWA CITY, Iowa — The stars seemed to be aligning perfectly for the No. 10-seeded Arizona State Sun Devils.
After winning two conference tournament games for the first time since the 2017-18 season, the Maroon and Gold made their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2019 after being announced as one of the last teams last Sunday. And after battling an illness, coach Molly Miller landed in Iowa on Thursday morning to lead the Sun Devils’ First Four clash against Virginia.
But despite keeping the score within less than 10 points for the entire game, it wasn’t meant to be for ASU. Its historic season came to an end on Thursday night as the Cavaliers (20-11) edged the Sun Devils (24-11), winning 57-55 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Senior guard Marley Washenitz tied her season-high points tally (19) after going 7-for-12 from the field, while junior forward McKinna Brackens registered her eighth double-double of the season. Despite recording a better field goal percentage than the Cavaliers in the game, Arizona State fell just short of reaching the first round.
Washenitz netted six points early in the first quarter, but ASU trailed 19-14 after enduring a four-and-a-half-minute scoreless run as Virginia shot 52.8% from the field.
The Cavaliers held the Sun Devils to scoreless for another substantial period, spanning over four minutes in the second quarter as they stretched their lead to eight points entering halftime. Virginia also held Miller’s team to just 27.6% from the field at the break.
But ASU didn’t go down easily. Sparky never let the deficit reach double digits, and it made it a one-possession game entering the final five minutes of the game.
With 40 seconds remaining, Washenitz tied the game for the first time since the first quarter after sinking her fifth 3-pointer of the night. However, Virginia responded with a 3-pointer of its own from junior guard Kymora Johnson to regain the lead for the Cavaliers.
Miller’s side couldn’t to level the score as Virginia came away with the 57-55 victory. The Cavaliers will advance to play No. 7-seeded Georgia Bulldogs in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. MST.
ASU, meanwhile, concludes its first season with Miller at the helm. Her squad finishes with a 24-11 record in a season highlighted by its best start in program history (15-0), a quarterfinal appearance in the Big 12 Tournament and reaching March Madness for the first time since 2019.
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