Sun Devil WBB comes up short against No. 14 Kentucky at Music City Classic
By Austen Bundy
Arizona State women's basketball (3-3) traveled East to take on No. 14 Kentucky on Tuesday but could not navigate the Wildcats' tough defensive set up in a 77-61 loss in Nashville, Tennessee.
The Sun Devils actually started the game well, holding Kentucky to just 4/13 shooting from the field in the opening minutes but that effort wound up being unsustainable.
ASU's top scorer, Tyi Skinner, was held to just 8 points after averaging 21.6 points entering the day, shooting just 3/19 from the field but knocking down two three-pointers.
Junior guard Jalyn Brown led the team in scoring with 16 points after playing 25 minutes while senior Nevaeh Parkinson ended the day with nine rebounds.
Kentucky's starters were impressive with sophomore center Clara Strack racking up 24 points as the game's leading scorer and Virginia Tech transfer Georgia Amoore trailing not far behind with 20 of her own.
Sun Devils look for more wins as extended road trip continues
The Kentucky game was part of the Music City Classic which also features South Dakota. The team will face the Coyotes (3-4) on Wednesday for the first time in program history before earning an eight day break.
Tuesday's game was the first of seven consecutive contests the Sun Devils will either be on the road for or at a neutral venue. Then it will travel to the nation's capital area for contests against Coppin State (Dec. 5) in Baltimore and Maryland Eastern Shore in Washington, D.C. (Dec. 7).
Final exams will offer the ladies an extended break from the hardcourt before getting back on the road to face UC Davis (Dec. 15), San Francisco (Dec. 17) and Utah (Dec. 21).
ASU's first home game as a Big 12 member will come Jan. 1 against Texas Tech, two days after its final non-conference game hosting UPenn on Dec. 30.