The Arizona State Sun Devils women's basketball team loses its second consecutive game in a row to the Texas Tech Red Raiders with a final score of 58-51.
The loss on Sunday puts the Sun Devils in the tenth seed in this year's Big 12 Women's Basketball Tournament, which will begin on Wednesday, March 4. The winner of this game will face the Iowa State Cyclones, whom Arizona State lost to in February.
Arizona State will also face its longtime rivals, the Arizona Wildcats, for the third time in the season. Additionally, they swept the regular season series for the first time since the 2017-18 season.
During Sunday's game, the Sun Devils were up by two over the Red Raiders at halftime after taking a 27-25 lead, thanks to junior forward McKinna Brackens making both free throws.
In the third quarter, Arizona State was outscored by Texas Tech, 22-9, which led to the team losing its second consecutive game.
More importantly, the Sun Devils' 17 turnovers were turned into 20 points scored by Texas Tech and they struggled from the three-point line with 4-for-17 from the field.
Only two players, senior guard Gabby Elliott and sophomore forward Heloisa Carrera, scored in double figures with 15 and 10 points, respectively.
If they had won the game, the Sun Devils could have a bye in the Big 12 Tournament to the second round as the eighth seed.
As Arizona State heads to Kansas City for the Women's Big 12 Tournament, they would need to win two games to punch their ticket to the 2026 NCAA Women's Tournament. The last time they participated was in 2019, when they fell to Mississippi State in the Sweet Sixteen.
No matter the outcome, the Sun Devils' season will always be remembered not only for the big turnaround but also for the attention the team has received with the hiring of Molly Miller as head coach.