ASU women’s basketball looks to avoid a second straight road sweep as they face Kristine Anigwe and No. 23 California.
Arizona State looks to bounce back after their biggest loss of the season as they take on Cal in Berkley Sunday.
The Sun Devils lost 74-50 and were beaten in basically all aspects of the game Friday at Stanford. ASU shot over 12 percent worse, only shot 1-of-12 from three, were out-rebounded and Stanford had better ball movement with more assists and more points in the paint.
But most importantly, ASU turned the ball over more, including having it stolen from them 11 times. Sun Devil leading scorer on the season, Kianna Ibis, was held to two points.
Arizona State will certainly be knocked out of the top 25 on the AP Poll, but they need a win against Cal in order to stay above .500 in Pac-12 play, despite starting 4-0. They will also look to not be swept on their second straight road trip.
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ASU beat the Golden Bears by nine in Tempe last time the two met this season. In fact, the Devils have won their last three games against Cal.
But, Cal is 5-1 since facing ASU and they are coming off of a 42-point win against Arizona.
In order to beat the Bears again, the Sun Devils need to go back to their strengths on offense, good ball movement and getting Ibis her touches down low.
Ibis scored 26 points with six rebounds last time the two played. They need that kind of performance as opposed to the two points she scored against Stanford.
Another thing the Devils need to do is control the turnover battle. This has been a major strength for them this season. ASU is second in the Pac-12 in turnover margin. Cal is third-to-last.
Turnovers is an area where the Devils need to take advantage and manufacture extra scoring opportunities. Cal has a lot of offensive weaponry as they are third in the conference in three-point percentage and fourth in field goal percentage.
Two Bears players scored 24 points or more against ASU last time. Junior guard Asha Thomas had 25 and junior center Kristine Anigwe had 24.
The Bears outshot ASU last time they faced each other. The difference for the Devils was winning the turnover margin by six and outscoring the Bears by 12 off of them.
Next: ASU Basketball: Stanford dominates Sun Devils in rematch
ASU is in a downwards spiral having lost four out of five. They now face a top 25-opponent on the road. The Devils have lost three straight road games and need to settle down and get back to their strengths in order to avoid a fourth.