With Arizona State’s departure, the two last-place teams are out of the Pac-12 WBB Tournament
By Sam Fariss
The Arizona State Sun Devils’ season has come to an end after their loss to the Utah Utes. ASU entered the tournament as the eleventh seed and were massive underdogs when facing the Utes.
While the Sun Devils didn’t suffer the embarrassing 49-point loss that the Oregon Ducks did earlier Wednesday afternoon, the team couldn’t find its footing.
The Utes have had a back-and-forth season. While losing nine games this year, Utah was able to knock down No. 7 USC on the road and No. 8 Colorado at home.
These impressive wins have helped bolster the Utes’ resume and they currently hold a top-25 ranking at No. 22 in the nation.
Arizona State’s season has looked radically different than their Pac-12 foe’s has. The Sun Devils have lost 20 games this year and finished the season on a six-game losing streak.
With losing records at home and on the road, ASU only pulled off three conference wins – one over the California Golden Bears and two against the Washington Huskies.
In the 71-60 loss to the Utes, the Sun Devils had 11 turnovers and 19 personal fouls. Utah outrebounded Arizona State by 13 and shot more than 5 percentage points better.
Trayanna Crip’s 19 points combined with Jalyn Brown’s 14 for more than half of the Sun Devils’ total score. However, the rest of the team brought in fewer than 10 points a piece and Arizona State fell short of the upset.
While ASU kept it within reach through three quarters, Utah ran away with the game in the fourth and never looked back.
The Pac-12 Women’s Basketball Tournament will continue on Thursday, March 7 at 1 p.m. PT. The tourney is being held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.