ASU Basketball: Sun Devils falter late in “Showdown on the Rez”

Defense nearly won the game for ASU women’s basketball, but the size and talent of Baylor proved to be too much for the team to overcome.

The “Showdown on the Rez” proved to be the thriller advertised to fans who made the trek to Fort Defiance, Arizona.

The Baylor Bears used a strong second half defense to defeat the Arizona State Sun Devils 65-59. The 4th-ranked Bears overcame a 14-point deficit to defeat the 23rd-ranked Sun Devils in a game which took place at the Navajo reservation.

With the loss, ASU dropped to 1-1 this season while Baylor improved to 3-0. The Bears came into the game heavy favorites but were pushed to the brink against the Sun Devils.

The game was played to honor both Native American basketball and Vietnam veterans. The spirit of both were present throughout the day, as both coaches were gifted with Navajo cloaks before tipoff.

ASU started the game energized and nearly carried that buzz to the final horn.

The Sun Devils led through the first three quarters and limited one of the top offenses in the country, the Baylor Bears, to only 65 points through four quarters.

In the first, ASU struggled early with offense, starting the contest 1-for-8, but used a lockdown defense to lead the game early. The Sun Devils forced eight Baylor turnovers in the first and shot ten more times than the Bears in the period.

The second quarter showed Baylor wasn’t going down without a fight.

ASU pushed out their largest lead of the game at 26-12, but the Bears responded with a 6-0 run of their own and forced ASU into many bad three-point attempts.

The Bears held ASU to two made field goals on their final 10 attempts of the half, all while cutting into the Sun Devil’s lead.

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During the break, it seemed Baylor made the necessary adjustments both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball.

The Bears limited the Sun Devils to 3-for-12 on three-point attempts in the second, one half after ASU scorched the team with 11 threes on 18 attempts.

The Sun Devils struggled mightily on offense, only shooting 22.6 percent from the field in the second half.

This paired with the second half eruption of Kalani Brown, who finished with 14 points on 7-9 shooting. Brown was limited in the first half with two early fouls, but started the second half 4-5 and dominated the Sun Devils in the paint.

The Bears shifted their offense around the duo of Brown and freshman NaLyssa Smith attacking the inside of the court.

Smith finished with a game-high 16 points on 8-for-11 shooting and 11 rebounds off the bench.

After trailing for nearly two whole quarters, the Bears battled back to tie the game at 43 apiece in the third. It was from that point Baylor took the lead and didn’t lose it.

The Bears used a 12-0 in the middle of the fourth quarter to push the game out of reach for good. ASU shot multiple threes in the final minutes, but couldn’t seem to find the net as their struggles from deep continued.

Kianna Ibis led the charge for the Sun Devils with 13 points and five rebounds. Freshman Jamie Loera made her college debut and finished with nine points on 3-for-3 shooting.

Loera didn’t play against Incarnate Word but made all her attempts in only nine minutes of play.

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Next for the Sun Devils is a road trip to Arkansas on Nov. 18 with a 6 p.m. tipoff.