ASU Basketball: Sun Devils dominate glass in win over UCF

ASU basketball uses a plus-15 rebounding margin and a Kianna Ibis double-double to pull away from UCF in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

Following a second round exit against UCLA in the Pac-12 tournament, Arizona State head coach Charli Turner Thorne emphasized how important it was for her team to control the glass.

Fast forward to the first round of the 2019 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, where the Sun Devils bounced back and got the job done.

ASU outrebounded UCF 42-27 in a resounding 60-45 victory over the Knights.

“Rebounding wins championships, it’s true,” Turner Thorne said. “And possessions, it’s a game of possessions.”

And while the Sun Devils ultimately finished two behind UCF on the offensive glass, ASU made its presence in a paint known early.

The Sun Devils collected 21 rebounds in the first half, with seven coming on the offensive end. Those equated to nine second chance points, which led the way to the 10-point lead ASU held at the end of the half.

The Sun Devils made a point of attacking the rim whenever possible, with 32 of their total points coming inside the paint.

The difference maker for ASU being a strong performance from senior Kianna Ibis.

Ibis finished with her third double-double of the season, leading the way with a game-high 10 rebounds and 12 points.

The senior was also one of four Sun Devils to have at least five rebounds, while also notching four offensive rebounds on the night.

“That’s one of our goals for us posts and guards it to keep getting second shots because that’s the best part of our offense,” Ibis said. “It’s win-or-go-home, so I was just trying to lock down and focus on rebounding today and the rest of the tournament.”

And while UCF implemented a suffocating 2-3 zone to limit the inside attack of the Sun Devils, it was those second chance points that proved most impactful for ASU.

The Sun Devils finished with 14 second chance points, a plus-three margin to UCF.

And while ASU has typically won the rebounding margin, moving forward the Sun Devils know how key winning that battle will be, especially against some of the top teams in the country.

“I think we can still improve on our rebounding effort and obviously if we end up, depending on who we play, we could end up playing possibly the best offensive rebounding team in the country, so it’s going to be huge,” Turner Thorne said.

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