Sun Devils fall to No. 15 West Virginia, end Big 12 Tournament run

The Arizona State Sun Devils' special run in the Big 12 Women's Basketball Tournament came to an end on Friday, losing to the No. 15 West Virginia Mountaineers, 67-54, in Kansas City.

Despite the loss, the Sun Devils' two wins over the Arizona Wildcats and Iowa State Cyclones, who were fully healthy, have strengthened their case for earning a bid in this year's NCAA Women's Tournament.

"Historically, no Power Four team with 24 wins has ever been left out," Arizona State women's basketball head coach Molly Miller said on Burns and Gambo.

Fatigue may have been a contributing factor that led the Sun Devils to lose to the Mountaineers in the Quarterfinals since they began playing for three consecutive days.

Additionally, two of their starters, senior guards Gabby Elliott and Last-Tear Poa, played through injuries for most of Friday's game while giving their all.

Arizona State fought hard until the final buzzer, as they cut West Virginia's lead as close as two points in the fourth quarter before being outscored 15-4 for the last eight minutes of action.

In the loss, the Sun Devils shot 18-for-48 (38 percent) from the field and had their 16 turnovers turned into 35 points scored by the Mountaineers' defense.

To add onto that Arizona State lost the close rebounding battle to West Virginia, 33-31, and only had 14 attempts at the three-point line (5-for-14 from the field).

"If you're going to go play in the most competitive tournament in the country, you want the most competitive teams, and that's Arizona State," Miller said postgame.

One of the bright spots for the Sun Devils was senior guard Marley Washenitz leading the team in scoring with 14 points and made four three-pointers.

Sophomore forward Heloisa Carrera had ten points while playing 34 minutes, and she has been one of the dominant players for Miller and the coaching staff throughout the whole season.

After finishing their run in the Big 12 Women's Tournament, Miller and Arizona State will wait to find out whether they would get a bid and dance in the NCAA Women's Tournament for the first time since 2019.

"That was a game that was hard-fought on both ends," Miller said. "We made some runs there, just couldn't get over the hump. We got it within five, we got it within three. It's a back-and-forth battle. You're in the game. And the effort that these kids showed, I'm just so happy and proud of them. That type of style is not easy to play on day three. That was not an excuse for them. They were ready. They emptied the tank. It's not a full tank when you're doing three games in three days, but it was a tank full of heart and commitment and I'm really proud."

In Molly Miller's first year with the program, she led them to 24 wins, which is ranked second in the nation in win improvement from a year ago, when they had 10 wins.

No matter the results, the Sun Devils women's basketball program is in GREAT hands with Miller leading the way for years to come.