It wasn’t always pretty, but a stubborn defense helped the ASU women’s basketball team record a sweep of the weekend and win the ASU Classic.
Victories over Cal Poly (2-4) on Friday and New Mexico on Saturday (5-3) helped the Sun Devils improve to 5-2 on the season.
Junior guard/forward Kimberly Brandon and redshirt senior guard Dymond Simon both had great weekends for the Sun Devils, but the ASU offense was stagnant at times, making the defense the key to the weekend, ASU coach Charli Turner Thorne said.
“I’m really proud of my team’s defense,” Turner Thorne said. “At this time of the year, to bring that kind of energy for 40 minutes, that was truly Sun Devil defense. We obviously continue to have a few offensive woes, which I’m not overly concerned about at all. I know that we have people who can put the ball in the basket.”
ASU started the game against Cal Poly without senior forward Becca Tobin, who was resting a foot injury. The Sun Devils started off fast, taking an 11-0 lead three minutes into the game and never trailed.
The Sun Devils outscored the Mustangs 35-19 in the first half en route to a 69-58 victory.
However, out of the two games, the Sun Devils would play much sloppier against Cal Poly, Turner Thorne said.
“I’ll say I’m disappointed, but we were just fatigued out there,” Turner Thorne said. “It’s hard to defend turnovers. We’re a great defensive team, but when you turn the ball over, it’s really hard to get back off of that.”
Luckily for ASU, Brandon recorded 16 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Sun Devils and record her first career double-double, while senior guard Tenaya Watson grabbed nine steals, just one shy of the school record.
“I knew I really had to pick it up because Becca was out, and she’s a big part of our team,” Brandon said. “We all had to pick it up.”
Cal Poly was led by senior guard Rachel Clancy, who had a double-double of her own with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Brandon, Watson, and Clancy would each make the all-tournament team.
Against UNM, the Sun Devils received a boost with the return of Tobin, but got off to a very slow start, hitting only one shot in the first 11 minutes. However, in the same stretch, ASU held the Lobos to only nine points and the Sun Devils closed out the first half with a 14-2 run to take a 10-point lead into the half.
“It was definitely a slow start offensively for us, and I thought we stayed poised,” Turner Thorne said. “Through all the missed shots, I thought we played defense.”
In the second half, ASU would pull away from UNM, extending the lead to 24 points at one point in the game. The Sun Devils would score 29 points off turnovers and do a much better job taking care of the ball, giving up only 17 turnovers and winning the game 55-40.
Simon grabbed the tournament MVP honors and made her presence felt throughout the game, grabbing 18 points on 50 percent shooting to lead all scorers. Brandon would come close to a second double-double with eight points and 11 rebounds.
“It wasn’t just me; my teammates were finding me in open spots,” Simon said. “We’ve been in the gym, getting those three-point shots up this week, and I think it definitely paid off tonight.”
Although the Sun Devils only hit five three-pointers on the night, all five came during runs to close out the first and second halves. After the game, Turner Thorne said she was just really pleased with the way the team handled themselves.
“In a long stretch for us where we were fighting some fatigue, I think our team responded real well,” Turner Thorne said. “Our chemistry and execution are only going to get better.”
UNM was led by junior forward Porche Torrance with 10 points and 14 rebounds. Torrance also made the all-tournament team.
The Sun Devils return to action Saturday at home against Colorado State.
Reach the reporter at egrasser@asu.edu
