It’s a battle of the desert teams tonight as ASU basketball women’s team heads to Tuscon to face the Arizona Wildcats in the first round of the Territorial Cup.
This match-up will be crucial for the Devils to win since they currently sit with a 7-7 record in conference, and with the season coming to an end they need to get a few more wins under their belt before the Pac-12 tournament.
Arizona has not done well in the Pac this year, with a losing record of 3-11 and only one win on their home court. The Wildcats have also averaged 16 turnovers a game this season, which is promising for a strong ASU defense.
Arizona State is coming off a tough loss against No. 9 Washington. ASU was not able to hang on against the top ranked team and the young team trailed off as the game wound down, giving up a huge lead to the Huskies.
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Coming from this, no game is a promise for the Devils. The team has had embarrassing losses before, one against USC, ranked last in the Pac-12 at the time, back in January.
Senior Kelsey Moos is back in the lineup for the Sun Devils and is hopeful to bring some energy back into this fatigued team.
Working in combination with fellow seniors Quinn Dornstauder and Sophie Brunner should keep the team on a quick tempo and have fresh legs ready to come off the bench.
ASU is still inconsistent with their shooting and it kills them in games. Against Washington, the team only sunk 37 percent of their field goals and 31 percent from the three-point line. If they expect to win tonight, they need to be able to calm down and focus on the quality of their shots rather than quantity.
Another huge skill the Sun Devils need to hone in on rebounding. The underclassmen on the team time and time again are blocked out under the basket and unable to get crucial rebounds.
Next: ASU Basketball: No. 23 Arizona State Falls to No. 10 Washington
In the first game of the Territorial Cup series, tip-off for tonight’s game will be at 7 p.m. MST and can be seen on Pac-12 Network.