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ASU Basketball: Devils seek revenge against Oregon State

By Carson Field

TEMPE, AZ - OCTOBER 10: Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky spikes the pitchfork at center field after the college football game against the Colorado Buffaloes at Sun Devil Stadium on October 10, 2015 in Tempe, Arizona. The Arizona State Sun Devils beat the Colorado Buffaloes 48-23. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
TEMPE, AZ - OCTOBER 10: Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky spikes the pitchfork at center field after the college football game against the Colorado Buffaloes at Sun Devil Stadium on October 10, 2015 in Tempe, Arizona. The Arizona State Sun Devils beat the Colorado Buffaloes 48-23. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) /
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After dropping their first two games against Oregon State this season, the ASU women’s basketball team will look to get revenge in the Pac-12 Tournament Quarterfinals.

They say the third time’s the charm. At least ASU hopes so.

Last week, Arizona State lost its second game to Oregon State for the second time last as a result of a big third quarter for the Beavers when they outscored ASU, 23-11, in the period.

Despite holding a lead at halftime, Oregon State came storming out of the gates and played much better in the second half. OSU senior Marie Gulich was near unstoppable, as the center dropped 30 of her 36 points in the second half, shooting 16-for-18 from the field.

The combination of Gulich’s big second half and the team’s effective shooting proved too much for Arizona State to overcome, and Oregon State won the game by a score of 64-60.

Following a rough start to conference play, Oregon State is now as hot as they come. The Beavers are currently riding a seven-game winning streak which includes wins over California, UCLA and USC.

As a result of Oregon State’s recent success, the Beavers earned a bye in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament in Seattle. Arizona State, on the other hand, has lost four of its last six games, leading to the Sun Devils entering the tournament as the six-seed.

“I feel like when you get to postseason, sometimes the first game is the hardest,” ASU head coach Charli Turner Thorne said. “We’ve got some kind of flow going into this next game, so I think there are a lot of positives for us coming out tomorrow and giving a great, great effort.”

In spite of their two-game losing streak they entered the tournament with, ASU took care of business against their in-state rival, Arizona.

ASU got off to a quick 13-0 start, and the Sun Devils did not look back. A strong shooting effort helped Arizona State maintain their lead throughout the game with the Sun Devils shooting 57 percent from the field. The stellar shooting contributed to a Sun Devil winning effort with a final score of 76-47.

“I thought it was a great team win,” Turner Thorne said. “I loved our energy. Loved our effort.”

Kianna Ibis led the Sun Devils in scoring with 13 points, and Sophia Elenga and Charnea Johnson-Chapman followed closely behind with 10 and nine, respectively.

With the win, ASU will play a grudge match against Oregon State Friday night in the Pac-12 Tournament Quarterfinals.

Neutralizing Gulich is never easy, but Turner Thorne said stopping her is a key to the Sun Devils’ success against Oregon State.

“Gulich is a great player,” Turner Thorne said. “I don’t know if she’s up for an All-American, but to me, she’s that level. You’ve just got to try to contain her a little bit better, which that will be our job tomorrow night.”

Next: ASU Basketball: Sun Devils’ dominant victory in Seattle just the start?

Friday’s quarterfinal action between the Sun Devils and Beavers is the last of four Pac-12 quarterfinal games. The game is scheduled to tip at 9:30 p.m. MT and it game can be seen on Pac-12 Network.

All quotes in this article were obtained firsthand by Devils in Detail unless otherwise noted.