ASU sophomore center Quinn Dornstauder and the rest of the women’s basketball team ring in their 21st win of the season on Feb. 6, 2015, at the Wells Fargo Arena. Dornstauder helped spark a fierce second half rally to lead her team to victory with 22 points. (Daniel Kwon/The State Press)No. 10 ASU women’s basketball will attempt to conclude the regular season with fewer than five losses and a top-10 ranking for the first time since 2007.
The Sun Devils will go against two teams in the bottom third of the conference: Colorado and Utah.
They might have to do it without sophomore forward Kelsey Moos. Contradicting reports came from the ASU camp.
She was wearing a splint on her right arm to support her elbow on Tuesday. Moos sounded unconfident in her chances of returning and hinted that she might not be prepared to go by the Pac-12 tournament.
“It’s a day-by-day thing,” she said. “We don’t know when exactly I’ll be back but hopefully shortly.”
She said she’s still “trying to get it stronger” but has made improvements. As of Tuesday, she said she hadn’t practiced on the court with the team. She had been on the sidelines with trainers.
Head coach Charli Turner Thorne, on the other hand, was more optimistic about the prospect of Moos playing. She said Moos did “skill work” with the scout team and players over the week and has been in practice.
“It’s looking promising for this weekend but I wouldn’t say definitive,” Turner Thorne said on Tuesday.
Turner Thorne has previously said Moos’s confidence in her arm is the main thing holding her back. If she was mentally ready to play, Turner Thorne thinks she could go and be fine.
Without Moos, sophomore center Quinn Dornstauder will remain in the starting lineup. In her four games starting, she averages eight points and six rebounds per game.
Redshirt junior guard Eliza Normen has been playing well with more minutes off the bench. She’s averaging three points and 3.8 rebounds over the last two weeks, and got the game-winning block in double-overtime against USC on Sunday.
“Players have just stepped up,” Moos said. “Shaq (freshman center Ayanna Edwards) has been getting more playing time. … Everyone, they’ve all just stepped up.”
The interior players will be important against Colorado. The Buffaloes are the second-best rebounding team in the Pac-12, averaging 42.8 rebounds per game.
“They’re a really big team,” Turner Thorne said before jokingly adding, “Of course, every team’s big compared to us.”
Moos’ potential absence could cause a gap for ASU. Colorado junior forward Jamee Swan is a good shooter and Moos has the best footwork of the bigs. It may be tough to contain Swan away from the basket.
“She’s not really a three-point shooter, but she’s a great shooter,” Turner Thorne said. “She’s high-release, doesn’t need any space at all.”
Turner Thorne said that if Moos plays, she’d play more on the perimeter. This would likely be a 3-2 zone look, with her on the perimeter and Dornstauder and sophomore forward Sophie Brunner in the post. Moos would save energy and play limited minutes.
If Moos can’t play, Turner Thorne said Normen and Brunner can guard Swan effectively.
On Sunday, ASU plays its final regular season game against Utah. The Utes are ahead of only Arizona in the Pac-12 standings, but their slow-paced game was difficult for ASU to overcome the first time the two played. Neither team scored 60 points.
Utah has only allowed 70 points four times this entire season.
“They do a great job defensively,” Turner Thorne said.
A lot of that comes from them setting the pace on offense. Utah is a patient team that sets a lot of screens and takes time to develop the offense.
“They’re a very deliberate, meticulous, great offensive-execution team,” Turner Thorne said. “They’re just really good at taking their time and getting the shot that they want.”
When the two played earlier in the year, ASU fell into Utah’s pace and struggled to get the offense going. ASU is going to need to play at their own pace this time. Turner Thorne said playing at home will help, and junior guard Elisha Davis said that the team is putting an emphasis on forcing turnovers and getting out in transition.
On the offensive side, she said ASU needs to be patient. This may slow the clock down for the Sun Devils, but if they can be efficient with the ball, they’ll score enough.
If the Sun Devils can sweep yet another weekend, its overall record would be 26-4. In 2007, the team finished 26-3 and was No. 10 in the coaches poll.
Reach the reporter atlogan.newman@asu.eduor follow@Logan_Newsmanon Twitter.
LikeState Press Sportson Facebook and follow@statepresssporton Twitter.
