Arizona State advances to Big 12 Quarterfinal after taking down Iowa State

Moy Mier does it again. The Arizona State Sun Devils takes down the Iowa State Cyclones in a close game, 77-68, to advance to the Big 12 Quarterfinal for the first time in program history.

For the first time since 2018 (in the Pac-12, long live), the Sun Devils have won two games in a conference tournament in Kansas City. In the past three seasons, they had a combined 29 wins, and this season, they had a significant turnaround with 24 wins in Molly Miller's first year with the program.

More importantly, the victory keeps Arizona State's chances of clinching a berth in the NCAA Women's Tournament alive after getting its first Quad 1 win of the season.

“We’ve got our signature win,” Miller said postgame.

Last year, Arizona State was eliminated in a close second-round Big 12 Tournament game against Iowa State, marking Natasha Adair's final appearance as head coach. This season, the Sun Devils avenged that loss to the Cyclones, with Miller leading the charge.

The Sun Devils surged to a commanding 19-2 lead over the Cyclones in the first quarter and maintained their momentum throughout the game.

Arizona State's relentless defense stifled Iowa State's offense, paving the way for an impressive upset victory while limiting the chances of a comeback.

Additionally, the team had four starters score in double figures, and limited the Cyclones to 36 percent from the field and 19 percent from the three-point line.

Senior guard Gabby Elliott led the Sun Devils as she had a bounce-back performance, recording a near triple-double with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists.

Despite fouling out of the game, she had one of the best performances of the season for Arizona State while keeping their dreams of advancing to the NCAA Tournament alive.

Adding on Elliott's performance, sophomore forward Heloisa Carrera had another outstanding game for the Sun Devils as she continues to be a dominant force in the paint.

She scored 17 points while shooting 5-for-6 from the field and had 12 points in the first quarter, setting the tone for Arizona State's offense.

"I do," Carrera said on having the possession during the Sun Devils' win over the Arizona Wildcats Wednesday. "And I love that my coach trusts me and my teammates trust me to have the ball and score for them. So being in that position, it is a lot of pressure, but I love the pressure."

Junior forward McKinna Brackens, similar to Elliott, also had a game where she became her dominant self again, scoring 16 points and recording six rebounds while playing for 40 minutes.

And to top it off, senior Australian guard Last-Tear Poa has been a crucial player in the Sun Devils' run in the Big 12 Women's Tournament on both ends of the court.

She also had another big-time performance on Thursday, recording 12 points and nine rebounds while sealing the deal in the fourth quarter by making both free throws on the line.

Coming up next, Arizona State will face West Virginia in the Big 12 Quarterfinals on Friday at 5:30 p.m. Arizona time on ESPN+.

The Sun Devils fell to the Mountaineers in a close game in January, and they look to continue to build on their resume in Miller's first season.