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Turner Thorne not pleased with team's performance in win over Colorado

Redshirt junior Katie Hempen defends ASU’s basket as the team faces No. 9 Oregon State on Jan 25, 2015. ASU won against Colorado Friday night.(Kat Simonovic/ The State Press)
Redshirt junior Katie Hempen defends ASU’s basket as the team faces No. 9 Oregon State on Jan 25, 2015. ASU won against Colorado Friday night.(Kat Simonovic/ The State Press)

Redshirt junior Katie Hempen defends ASU’s basket as the team faces No. 9 Oregon State on Jan 25, 2015. ASU won against Colorado Friday night.(Kat Simonovic/ The State Press) Redshirt junior Katie Hempen defends ASU’s basket as the team faces No. 9 Oregon State on Jan 25, 2015. ASU won against Colorado Friday night.(Kat Simonovic/ The State Press)

ASU Charli Turner Thorne was critical with her team’s performance in their 68-60 victory over Colorado (9-11, 2-7 Pac-12) on Friday in Boulder.

“Nobody’s excited about how we played,” she said in a post-game interview with NBS Sports 1060 AM. “It was a total grinded out game. We played pretty bad.”

With that, Turner Thorne did say that Colorado is a good team and will pick up more wins in the second half. However, No. 11 ASU (19-2, 8-1 Pac-12) didn’t have the type of game they’ve become accustomed to. Turner Thorne’s tone was not an upset one; it was more of matter-of-factual when she said their play was “stinking” and “horrible” Friday.

Colorado, despite having the second-worst turnover ratio in the Pac-12, forced more turnovers than ASU. Additionally, they had more offensive rebounds and finished with 17 second-chance points.

It was a very strong defensive game. Junior forward Jamee Swan and senior forward Jen Reese combined for 19 points, about eight fewer than their season average. Reese shot just 2-for-7 from the field.

The only Buffs player that got going was senior guard Lexy Kresl. She had 18 points, including a late and-one opportunity that cut ASU’s lead to three.

This and-one chance had the potential to be game changing. The scoreboard showed that senior guard Promise Amukamara had four fouls. Colorado’s coach believed this, and Amukamara was playing defense a little less intensely than normal, backing up a tad on some drives. This foul should have removed Amukamara from the game with just 2:35 remaining.

Instead, the officials ruled that it was her fourth foul. There was limited debate from Colorado’s coach and Amukamara stayed in. If she had fouled out, ASU’s best defender would have been lost for the game.

Instead, ASU's best player remained while Colorado's best remained sidelined. About midway through the half, Swan fell on the floor clutching her leg and was immediately subbed out. She was seen icing her ankle on the sidelines and then on crutches after the game.

Swan finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds, five of which were offensive.

Sophomore forward Sophie Brunner provided defense and tough offensive production against Swan. She scored 15 points, nine of which came off free throws. She also contributed 10 rebounds, three of which came on the offensive end.

Sophie was just an absolute warrior,” Turner Thorne said. “30 minutes is a lot for her… and her rebounding, and she kept running the floor.”

She averages fewer than 25 minutes per game. Every one of her minutes and every one of her free throws was important.

ASU started the game slowly offensively, only hitting one basket in its first 4:50 of the game. The defense kept ASU in, though, and junior guard Arnecia Hawkins gave ASU its first lead with a three-pointer.

“I thought our bench was amazing in the first half,” Turner Thorne said.

Hawkins had eight of ASU’s first 15 points, making all three of her shots. Sophomore center Quinn Dornstauder finished the first half with a team-high nine. ASU led by seven at half time and increased its lead as high as 13 in the second half.

“We got up by 13 (and) I thought, ‘Okay let’s put this team away,’ and we just didn’t do it,” Turner Thorne said. “We had too many let-ups (and) played really tired.”

Colorado slowly dipped into ASU’s lead, getting as close as three points off Kresl’s layup.

Brunner followed that with a layup, and then sophomore forward Kelsey Moos made her only basket of the game — a three-pointer. It was just her second attempt of the game.

Up by eight, ASU didn’t look back. The Sun Devils won and Turner Thorne saw upside in her team while referencing last year’s 68-66 win over Colorado. She said they had celebrated “like we won a championship.”

“This year, we come in, we win by eight and it’s just sort of like, ‘Okay, that was pretty bad,’” she said. “So that’s growth. That’s a lot of growth.”

The Sun Devils play Utah (7-13, 1-8 Pac-12) in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Feb. 1.

Reach the reporter at logan.newman@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @Logan_Newsman

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