TEMPE- It was the tales of two different teams for the Arizona State Sun Devils women's basketball team in Tempe on Wednesday, as they are one of the bubble teams for this year's NCAA Women's Tournament.
From being up by 13 in the first half to losing by five and the season series to the BYU Cougars, 66-61, head coach Molly Miller and junior forward McKinna Brackens mentioned how the third quarter changed the trajectory of the game.
"It was definitely a tale of two halves," Miller said postgame. "I thought we were the tougher, more aggressive, put the other team on their heels first half, and then they (BYU Cougars) were the tougher, more aggressive, put us on our heels the second half. That third quarter, we had eight turnovers in a row, but we didn't handle that match-up zone very well, and that's a scenario where, when adversity faces, you've got to dig deep and grind out possessions.
"We felt good going into halftime. We knew they were probably going to throw that match-up zone a little bit, so we talked about it, but it definitely slowed our rhythm down, our pace, and we got some good shots. When your two best players (Gabby Elliott and McKinna Brackens) aren't hitting the shots that they usually hit, that hurts us. We had some great shots, and we just missed them."
In the second half, the Cougars outscored the Sun Devils, 48-30, and ultimately won the rebounding battle, 40-37.
As Arizona State was optimistic about getting a win over BYU, the third quarter was when they turned over the ball eight times.
Additionally, their shots weren't falling, and players were not getting the shots as they usually do, which cost them the game and potentially a berth.
"We had a bad third quarter that carried on into the fourth quarter," Brackens said. "They got a lot of points in transition. We got comfortable with the lead that we had in half, we knew that they were going to come off swinging, and we never swung back."
The Cougars have had the Sun Devils' number throughout the season.
From BYU handing Arizona State its first loss of the season to winning on its home court nearly two months later, they've been one of the most challenging opponents in Miller's first year as head coach.
"They're tough kids," Miller said. "You can tell that they scrapped after it, they offensive rebound, they push in transition. They're a momentum team. Also, didn't stop the bleeding very well, but that's a tough team. They play a lot of hard and passion."
Still, there is a lot of basketball left to be played, as the Sun Devils will travel on the road to face the No. 20 Texas Tech Red Raiders on Saturday and participate in this year's Big 12 Women's Basketball Tournament.
Miller is also dialed in on encouraging Arizona State to have the hunger and must-win mentality while bringing in the fight on both ends of the court.
"First I want to take this as an opportunity," Miller said. "This is an opportunity for us to go knock off a ranked team on the road, and then our season looks a lot different. We're feeling a lot different at this point. March Madness is happening in February right now; anything can happen with teams. We figured out one another. We watch each other on Synergy, game film, and ESPN+. So now it comes down to players taking place at this time of year."
No matter the outcome, from their impressive turnaround to breaking attendance records in Miller's first year, it is just the beginning for the Arizona State women's basketball program for many more wins and successes to come.