The ASU women's basketball team spent the beginning of its spring break competing for the Pac-10 Tournament Championship on March 8 and 9 to only spend the rest of it eagerly anticipating its spot in the NCAA Tournament, which will be announced Monday afternoon.
"We are what we are, we get what we get and we don't throw a fit," ASU coach Charli Turner Thorne said. "That's my line in March. We're not going to get what we want. We're going to get what we deserve."
The Sun Devils (21-10, 14-4 Pac-10) won their quarterfinal game of the Pac-10 Tournament against Washington, 83-64, on March 8 before falling to No. 8 California, 65-61, in the semifinals on March 9.
The results of the weekend kept ASU undefeated against the Huskies (13-18, 8-10 Pac-10) but winless against the Golden Bears (26-6, 15-3 Pac-10) this season.
The Sun Devils used an efficient first half against the Huskies to build a 43-22 lead at the break.
ASU shot just under 58 percent from the floor and committed only four turnovers in the first period.
UW got ASU's large lead down to single-digits late in the second half when a layup by sophomore center Laura McLellan made the score 67-58 with 3:36 remaining.
But the Sun Devils halted UW's comeback when senior guard Reagan Pariseau sank a 3-pointer to make the score 70-58 and followed with another trey on ASU's next possession to extend the lead to 73-60 with less than two minutes to play.
All five Sun Devil starters were in double figures for the game, led by junior center Sybil Dosty's 17 points. She also added 10 rebounds to earn her fourth double-double of the season.
Junior guard Briann January had 13 points and five assists for the Sun Devils, while junior forward Lauren Lacey and Pariseau each had 12 points, and senior guard Jill Noe had 10 points and four assists.
Against Cal, a cold spell in the second half ultimately cost the Sun Devils the chance to play in their second straight tournament championship game.
After leading 34-33 at the break, the Sun Devils missed their first four shots of the second half and then went over four minutes without a basket, which allowed the Golden Bears to take a 43-36 lead with 14:58 remaining.
A jumper by sophomore guard Dymond Simon ended the scoring drought, but Cal went on a 16-5 run to break open a 59-43 lead with 5:23 to play.
Simon nearly brought the Sun Devils back by herself when she scored 12 points in a late 18-6 run. She hit a 3-pointer with 28 seconds remaining to make the score 63-59 and followed with a layup with 19 seconds left to cut the lead to 64-61.
Cal junior guard Alexis Gray-Lawson made a free throw to make it a two-possession game with 18 seconds left, and Pariseau missed a wild shot on ASU's final possession.
The Sun Devils were once again overmatched by Cal's inside presence of junior center Devanei Hampton and junior forward Ashley Walker, especially on the glass.
Hampton ended the afternoon with 16 rebounds to go with her 19 points, while Walker chipped in 10 points and 10 boards.
Overall, the Sun Devils were out-rebounded 44-34, including an 18-7 disadvantage on the offensive boards.
"There are things that we need to actually have some time to absorb, work on and be real about," Turner Thorne said. "We're not an elite team yet. We haven't earned that elite status because we still need to do a few more things."
Lacey and Dosty were almost nonexistent for the Sun Devils, combining for just five points and nine rebounds.
Simon led all scorers with 22 points for the Sun Devils, while January added 15 points and Noe had 11 points, six rebounds and four assists.
Following the selection show Monday afternoon, the first round of the NCAA Tournament will begin Saturday. The Sun Devils were projected to be a No. 6 seed in Sunday's ESPN mock bracket.
Reach the reporter at: gina.mizell@asu.edu.
