Devils in Detail
Fansided

ASU Basketball: Sun Devils face Stanford in Pac-12 Tournament semifinals

By Scotty Gange

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 09: Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky the Sun Devil performs during the team's quarterfinal game of the Pac-12 Basketball Tournament against the Oregon Ducks T-Mobile Arena on March 9, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Oregon won 80-57. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 09: Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky the Sun Devil performs during the team's quarterfinal game of the Pac-12 Basketball Tournament against the Oregon Ducks T-Mobile Arena on March 9, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Oregon won 80-57. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Following a huge win over Oregon State, ASU women’s basketball must take on No. 2 seed Stanford in the semifinals of the Pac-12 Women’s Basketball Tournament.

After one of their biggest and most emotional wins of the season, the Arizona State Sun Devils will pick up another test when they will take on the Stanford Cardinal Saturday night.

Their 57-51 win over the Oregon State Beavers was one that took every ounce and every minute from the Devils.

The Sun Devils closed both the first and second half well. They stole all of OSU’s momentum in the second quarter, finishing it on an 8-0 run, while they stole the win with a 13-1 run to end the game.

No. 2 Stanford was able to escape a scare from No. 7 USC, 69-59. The players to stop for ASU is freshman Kiana Williams, sophomore DiJonai Carrington and junior Alanna Smith. The Cardinal’s ‘big three’ soared Friday, scoring 45 total points.

The key for Stanford tomorrow night, according to head coach Tara VanDerveer, is their bench.

“We’re going to need great help off the bench” Vanderveer. said. “And I need them to back me up when they go into the game.”

ASU was powered behind solid play from the entire roster. Robbi Ryan, Courtney Ekmark and Kianna Ibis combined for 44 total points, but it was the play that didn’t show in the box score that may prove to be their largest contribution.

Charnea Johnson-Chapman scored two points and grabbed just two rebounds, but held OSU star Marie Gulich to just six points in 37 minutes. She contributed on offense as well, as she set many great screens throughout the entirety of the game allowing her guards to roam free.

After several tough losses late in the game, it was about time the Sun Devils took one for themselves. Head coach Charli Turner Thorne touched on how this exact point has been a long-time coming.

“We try to fail forward, if you will,” she said. “We just tried to learn from every game throughout the entire season…so we had the utmost confidence today.”

The win and momentum should put them in a good place, but Stanford is no easy test.

The teams split their season series, and will have the ultimate tie-breaker tomorrow night at Key Arena in Seattle, WA at 8:30pm PST.

Next: ASU Basketball: Defense and rebounding propels Sun Devils to semifinals

Until then, coach Turner Thorne had one thing she had to say:

“We’re not done yet.”