TEMPE — As fans waited in line for concessions and took bathroom breaks at Desert Financial Arena during halftime between Arizona State and Northern Arizona, something unusual happened on the court.
ASU was already warming up, lining up and running drills a full seven minutes before the second half began.
It wasn’t a mistake in timing. After leading by 15 points at the start of the second quarter, NAU halted coach Molly Miller’s side, cutting its deficit to eight points by halftime. The Lumberjacks finished the second quarter scoring 20 points, including three from beyond the arc.
“There was a little gut check there at halftime,” Miller said after the game. “(I) challenged some people, kind of looked them in the eye and they responded.”
Whatever Miller said seemed to work. The Sun Devils scored 13 points in the opening four minutes of the half. It set the tone for the rest of the game as Miller’s side cruised to a 79-52 victory over NAU, winning its second game of the season.
Newcomers once again guided the way for Miller’s side on Thursday night. Senior guards Ruby Whitehorn and Rashunda Jones combined for 36 points. Three days earlier, the duo combined for 18 points in the entirety of the Maroon and Gold’s season opener against Jackson State.
They weren’t the only newcomers who had a big night. Junior guard Madison Morson, who started her first game in ASU colors, tallied nine points.
Despite the newcomers’ points, however, ASU’s defense struggled in the second quarter, allowing a season-high 20 points in one quarter to go into the locker room with a three-possession lead.
But Miller didn’t panic. She didn’t have a long pep talk. Instead, she kept it simple.
“It was kind of a quick coach’s huddle,” she said on her halftime talk. “We knew what we needed to do. We needed to defend better. Defend, defend, defend, and then rebound … It was a quick message and then back to warm-ups. Then prove that we can defend and we can get stops.”
The message worked as the Sun Devils held the Lumberjacks to just 10 points as the visitors shot 36.4% from the field. The Maroon and Gold, meanwhile, scored 24 in the third quarter and won the rebound battle 25-12 in the second half.
“You give energy to get energy,” Miller said. “If you’re giving energy vocally, then you’re going to be a little more bouncier. You’re going to be in the right spot. You’re going to be able to dictate and you’re going to be able to dialogue your action.”
Morson, who went 1-6 from the field in the first half, sprung to life after halftime to post seven points and two rebounds in nine minutes.
“(Miller) reminded us that single-digit quarters are our goal,” the junior said on allowing NAU 20 points entering halftime. “(She) reminded us how that’s unacceptable and how we couldn’t let our foot off the gas. We just came out with the same mindset as the first quarter and maintained it.”
Morson joined seven other Sun Devils to get on the second-half score sheet as the team scored 41 points after halftime while allowing 22.
Next up for ASU is a trip to Las Vegas on Tuesday as Miller’s squad faces UNLV at 7:30 p.m. MST.
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