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ASU WBB: Rapid Reaction – ASU Wins in First Round of Tournament

By Leah Soto

Mar 6, 2016; Seattle , WA, USA; General view of the KeyArena and Space Needle prior to the womens Pac-12 Championship between the UCLA Bruins and the Oregon State Beavers. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 6, 2016; Seattle , WA, USA; General view of the KeyArena and Space Needle prior to the womens Pac-12 Championship between the UCLA Bruins and the Oregon State Beavers. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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The ASU basketball women’s team killed Utah in their first game of the Pac-12 tournament, 72-54. The Sun Devils will face UCLA on Friday in the quarterfinals.

Aside from a cold-spell in the third quarter, ASU’s shots fell when they needed them. That being said, the key to the Devil’s win was their incredible rebounding and free-throw shooting.

Arizona State grabbed a total of 45 rebounds, 15 offensive. The team is not known for reliable free-throw shooting this season, but 23 of their points came from the free-throw line off a total of 88.5 percent free throw shooting.

Quinn Dornstauder was the biggest contributor for the Devils. She snagged a double-double early, scoring 10 and grabbing 12 boards.

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Their shots just wouldn’t fall for a brief stretch in the third quarter, but the defense stayed strong through the whole game – they played tough and forced some bad shots from Utah.

Kiara Russell did a good job calling plays and helped out on the defensive end as well. She brought a great level of energy to the court and kept Utah running in circles.

Utah’s fouling also seemed to aid the Sun Devils. One of the Utes, Wendy Anae fouled out in the fourth and the team committed a total of 19 personal fouls.

Possession of the ball flip-flopped between teams frequently. Multiple times in the game a team would steal the ball just to have the ball stolen back or turned-over.

Overall, Arizona State’s consistent defense and newfound free-throw shooting gave them an edge over their opponent, and their strong offense pushed them over that edge.

Next: ASU Basketball: Sun Devils Face Utah in Tournament Opener

ASU will go on to play UCLA in the next round of the tournament. Arizona State’s most recent loss to them was a close one.