When a team plays three games in six days and it is not a part of their normal routine, there is usually a letdown game incorporated into the mix. The ASU women's basketball team made sure that it would not happen to them.
The No. 11 Sun Devils (20-3, 9-2 Pac-12) took down the UA Wildcats 60-36 on Tuesday night at Wells Fargo Arena.
Redshirt sophomore gaurd Katie Hempen led ASU in points with 11 off the bench Tuesday. Redshirt senior center Joy Burke, redshirt senior guard Deja Mann, and sophomore guard Elisha Davis tied for second on the team with eight apiece.
Senior forward Kama Griffitts led the Wildcats (4-18, 0-11 Pac-12) in scoring on the night with 10 points.
The Wildcats got off to a good start, opening up a 10-point lead halfway through the opening period.
ASU shot poorly early on and started 0-7 from beyond the 3-point line.
"We needed to play a little more disciplined," Turner Thorne said. "We said that if we weren't going to score in transition to reverse the ball once or twice, get your paint touches before you launch it. We didn't reverse the ball or get offensive rebounds."
The Sun Devils really turned the corner in the second half, holding Arizona to just 10 points in the second 20 minutes.
Turner Thorne was impressed by her team's defensive efforts.
"We had them to eight points for most of the half," Turner Thorne said. "For this team, it's been elusive a bit consistently, possession after possession. If we can do what we did in the second half for the rest of the season, then we really are going to finish strong."
Even though her team struggled early, coach Charli Turner Thorne liked her team's effort.
"Much better, I'll just say that in terms of Oregon and Oregon State," Turner Thorne said. "We beat ourselves early on and then just got fired up."
The Sun Devils and Wildcats will face off again Sunday afternoon at the McKale Center in Tucson.
Reach the reporter at mtonis@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @Tonis_The_Tiger
