Devils in Detail
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ASU WBB: ASU vs. Kentucky Preview

By Jordan Kaye

Dec 13, 2014; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky reacts during the first half of the game against the Pepperdine Waves at Wells-Fargo Arena. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 13, 2014; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky reacts during the first half of the game against the Pepperdine Waves at Wells-Fargo Arena. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports /
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Coming off their biggest win of the season against No. 23 Florida, ASU Women’s basketball will have to get right back at it when they square off Sunday with No. 15 Kentucky in Lexington.

Before their game against Florida, coach Charli Turner Thorne called upon her seniors to step up and assume their rightful leadership role on this team. They took that role vs. Florida, as all three seniors, Sophie Brunner, Kelsey Moos, and Quinn Dornstauder had over 10 points and eight rebounds.

The Sun Devils fed their frontcourt, and they didn’t disappoint, all three of the seniors and forward Kianna Ibis were the top four ASU scorers. Possibly their best stat was that they all shot over 54 percent from the field, showing they were an efficient group and really carried the team to the victory.

The team as a whole had a tremendous fight in them last Sunday; as the fourth quarter started the devils found themselves down 51-39. They clawed their way back, basket by basket, behind the strong play of their frontcourt. In their remarkable 30-12  fourth quarter, ASU’s frontcourt had 24 points. The frontcourt play is so vital because they get higher percentage shots from it and open up the floor for the guards later on in the game.

When they face off with Kentucky on Sunday, they will try to use their size to their advantage against a Kentucky team that starts four guards. On defense, ASU will try to clog the lane, and make Kentucky shoot contested baskets.

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Early in the season, the team was running behind their guards, all of whom are freshmen and sophomores. That worked great in the beginning of the season, playing some bottom tier opponents, but since the Sun Devil opponents have gotten better, the ASU guards have gotten worse.

They’re shooting low percentages as a whole and committing too many turnovers. If they feed the ball down low early, they will get the ball back later in the game as the defense collapses on the forwards and center.

After their game vs. Boston University, Charli Turner Thorne emphasized that her team still needs a lot of improvement. Game by game they find different players to make the biggest impact, but coach Turner Thorne has gotten better at placing the lineups that work best together. She has also been advocating for the guards to get the ball down low more often and to stop holding the ball so long as to be prone to turnovers.

After they play Kentucky, ASU will finish out their non-conference schedule against three relatively easy opponents in Middle Tennessee St., Oral Roberts, and Holy Cross. ASU’s tough non-conference will then begin with No. 10 Stanford.