TEMPE — Basketball can be a funny sport.
It’s one of the few sports where one could pull off an upset as a No. 16 seed, come back from down 3-0 in a series, or start down 11-2, head into the second quarter only up two, and pull out a convincing 40+ point win.
ASU coach Molly Miller and her squad completed the latter.
Early in the first half, the Sun Devils — and those in the stands — didn’t expect an 11-2 swing to open the game. Yet, despite the murky waters of the first quarter, the Maroon and Gold pulled out a dominant 84-41 win against Jackson State at Desert Financial Arena on Monday night.
The tale of two halves and the resiliency shown impressed Miller.
“We know it is going to be a little bit tight there in front of a home crowd,” Miller said. “The nerves were there, but once we settled in, we did a better job. We needed to overcommunicate that first quarter, and I think that is where our lapse was.”
Despite a 43-point victory, ASU didn’t start as well as it would’ve liked. At the end of the first quarter, the Sun Devils only led by two. By halftime? 13.
Miller’s brand of basketball has been two things: energy and defense. Despite only allowing 21 first-half points, multiple late rotations and open looks embodied a team that’s still finding its stride.
Those donning the Maroon and Gold faced two familiar woes: three-point shooting and turnovers. The Sun Devils turned the ball over seven times in the first half and shot a lamentable 2-for-13 from deep.
It wasn’t all bad in the first half. In the final six minutes and 30 seconds of the half, they went on a 13-3 run. That’s when the proverbial light flicked. Heading into halftime on a 13-3 run in the final six minutes and 30 seconds reaffirmed ASU’s identity. Getting back to and finding a rhythm were key.
“(I was) really proud they never tucked their tails,” Miller said. “That’s what you want to see. I challenge this team in two ways: their competitive edge and their response to adversity. We had a little adversity tonight in that first quarter, and they responded.”
The Sun Devils never let up in the second half. True freshman guard Averie Lower started the game 0-for-4 from deep, yet never wavered in confidence. Behind her and her eventual 5-for-12 night from beyond the arc, the Sun Devils shot 36.7% from deep and went 9-for-17 in the second half.
Averie Lower shooting a three-pointer in ASU’s 84-41 victory over Jackson State on Nov. 2. (Leah Smith / Inferno Intel)
Most freshmen who struggle become discouraged. The college game is a big adjustment. Yet, for the guard who looks up to Caitlin Clark, confidence is never an issue.
“I think all the practice in my shot is where the confidence is from,” Lower said. “My mom growing up would shoot with me every single day. I was on a club team that shot 24/7, so that is where my shot comes from.”
ASU shot 69.2% in the third quarter and nearly 51% from the field throughout. Yet, two other big changes transformed the tempo. Miller’s brand of defensive basketball with timely rebounding took center stage. The defensive energy shifted. Key rotations, constant pressure, and eight turnovers forced helped guide ASU to a 30-point second-half advantage.
The Sun Devils outrebounded the Lady Tigers 51 to 29 — 20 to 13 on the offensive end — guiding the Sun Devils to 20 second-chance points, 18 of which were in the second half.
“They are probably sick of seeing us getting outrebounded on film,” Miller said. “I was like, play, pause, play, pause. Maybe it’ll be a healthier film room session. We just want to be aggressive first of all on rebounds and loose balls, so having 51 tonight with 20 offensive boards is a good start to that.”
So yes, basketball has a funny way of working itself out. It’s a game of runs. For ASU, it took momentum and never surrendered it. Now, for Arizona State, it’s about winning basketball games, regardless of what the top-25 polls say.
“Honestly, I don’t care about the media (the ranking polls),” junior forward Heloisa Carrera said in response to playing with a chip on her shoulder by being left out of the top 25. “I just want to win and I want to do the best that I can for my team. So no, not really.”
Arizona State next faces Northern Arizona at Desert Financial Arena on Nov. 5 at 6:30 p.m.
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