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ASU Basketball: Sun Devils defeat UCF to advance to Round of 32

By James Malamas

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 11: Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky the Sun Devil stands on the court during a first-round game of the Pac-12 Basketball Tournament against the USC Trojans at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on March 11, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. USC won 67-64. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 11: Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky the Sun Devil stands on the court during a first-round game of the Pac-12 Basketball Tournament against the USC Trojans at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on March 11, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. USC won 67-64. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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ASU basketball takes down Central Florida in a defensive showdown to advance to the second round of the NCAA tournament for the sixth year in a row.

In a first-round matchup between No. 5 seed Arizona State and No. 12 seed Central Florida, ASU came out on top by the score of 60-45. It was a defensive battle between two teams that allow below 60 points per game.

Coming out of halftime the Sun Devils held a 26-16 lead and was holding UCF’s top scorer, Kay Kay Wright, to just seven points.

Halfway through the third quarter ASU made a run to try to put the game to bed. The Sun Devils went on a 12-2 run thanks to the play of their bigs.

It was started by senior Charnea Johnson-Chapman who made a lay-up under the bucket, and another in transition.

Then it was another senior, Kianna Ibis, who got inside position and was able to get a bucket inside.

The next possession, after an offensive rebound by Courtney Ekmark, Ibis was fouled on a shot and knocked down two free-throws at the line.

Two possessions after that Ibis grabbed an offensive rebound and was able to put it back up and in and go on her own little six point run of her own.

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After grabbing a defensive rebound the following possession Sophia Elenga ran the floor and got rewarded on the other end by getting a great look in the lane to cap off the run.

UCF was forced to call a time with 1:39 remaining in the quarter after ASU extended their lead to 46-24.

Trailing 48-30 coming into the fourth and final quarter, UCF did not just roll over and accept their fate, but instead went on a run of their own and gave the Sun Devils a little scare.

The Knights were able to cut the deficit to 12 points three times but never any further.

After the game Arizona State head coach Charli Turner Thorne explained her message to the team in the huddle after UCF went on that run.

“You know, everybody, it’s win-or-go-home and they made a great run.” Turner Thorne explained. “I said their run is over. Lock it down.”

And lock it down is exactly what the Sun Devil did. The game came to an end and Arizona State is heading to the round of 32.

The Sun Devils only allowed 45 points, which is the least amount of points they have allowed in the NCAA Tournament in their history.

A big factor in Arizona State’s success came to the scoring outburst from Courtney Ekmark. The senior had 20 points on 8-for-13 shooting including going 4-for-7 from three.

The Knights played a full-court press and zone defense the entire game that allowed the sharp-shooting Ekmark to be able to find holes in the defense to get open shots.

“So when she knew we were playing against a zone, she was like, yes.” Turner Thorne said after the game. “We knew she would get some good looks and she’s just an amazing shooter.”

As a team, Arizona State controlled the boards. The Sun Devils hauled in 42 rebounds total compared to UCF’s 27. ASU also hauled in 12 offensive rebounds which resulted in 14 second chance points.

Kianna Ibis grabbed 10 boards of her own and added 12 points to go along with it. After the game she described how important it is for their team to win the rebounding battle.

“That’s one of our goals for us posts and guards is to keep getting second shots,” Ibis said, “because that’s part of our best offense.”

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With this win, Arizona State has advanced to the second round and will now face the host No. 4 seed Miami Sunday with a chance to make it to the Sweet 16.

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