After the ASU women's basketball team's exhibition loss to Team China Thursday night, junior guard Briann January and junior forward Lauren Lacey guaranteed a win against UC Santa Barbara Saturday.
And the No. 15 Sun Devils (1-1) delivered.
ASU destroyed the Gauchos (1-2) in its regular season home opener, 66-42.
"This was an intense, all-out (game for) 40 minutes," ASU coach Charli Turner Thorne said. "We have a lot to work on, but just getting to that point this early in the season I think was really good."
Despite missing seven of their first eight shots and shooting only 28 percent in the first half, the Gauchos remained within single digits of the Sun Devils for the first 15 minutes.
ASU then went on a 13-0 run late in the first half to push its lead to 18 points at the break.
Senior guard Jill Noe was the sparkplug behind the run and nearly had a triple-double for the game.
With her team up by six and 5:15 remaining in the half, Noe stole the ball, sank two free throws and then hit a three-pointer to extend the lead to 11.
But Noe was hardly done.
She stole the ball again on UCSB's next two possessions and assisted the next three Sun Devil baskets to give ASU a 33-15 lead with 2:17 remaining in the first half.
"I just work hard and I go out and do whatever my team needs me to do, whether it be (to) pass, shoot or rebound," Noe said. "It takes four other girls on the team with me to make me look good."
Noe finished the game with 12 points, seven rebounds, eight assists and four steals.
"That was, 'We will find a way to get it done,' and that's Jill Noe's middle name," Turner Thorne said. "She's a tremendous leader for us. She's one of the toughest, hardest working kids I've coached."
The Sun Devils continued to widen the distance between them and the Gauchos in the second half and led by as many as 28 points.
The lopsided win allowed ASU to go deep into their bench and get every available player a decent amount of time on the court.
"I'm really proud of my bench," Turner Thorne said. "They really provided a spark and we didn't lose a lot when we subbed. Everyone's coming in and sustaining our level."
Junior guard Danielle Orsillo, however, was not one of those players.
Orsillo sat out the game with a bone bruise in her left knee and is out indefinitely. She is also nursing a sprained right ankle.
"Danielle brings so much to our team both on and off the court and it was just a huge blow to not have her out there," Noe said. "Hopefully we can get her back sooner than later."
One player that continues to impress while coming off a serious injury is sophomore guard Dymond Simon.
Simon was in the starting lineup Saturday and scored nine points.
"I'm just happy to get things going," she said. "I know I'm going to be a bit rusty, but I just need to go out and have no conscience."
January also added 11 points, four rebounds and five assists for ASU.
The Sun Devils will have the chance to pick up another non-conference win tonight when they take on Yale at 6:30 p.m. at Wells Fargo Arena.
Reach the reporter at: gina.mizell@asu.edu.
