After two tough losses against Stanford and Cal last weekend, the ASU women’s basketball team has to quickly get back on track at home against rival UA on Sunday.
“We definitely had a mental lapse this past weekend, we’ll all admit that,” senior guard Dymond Simon said. “It was probably one of the most embarrassing games I’ve ever played (against Stanford).
“But then again, you always learn from those opportunities, and I think this will definitely motivate us to do a lot better here in the next few games.”
In order to get back to their winning ways, the Sun Devils (10-4, 2-2 Pac-10) will have to face a Wildcat squad (11-4, 2-2 Pac-10) that is three wins away from matching last seasons win total.
UA also lost a blowout game to Stanford last weekend, and will also be looking to bounce back, ASU coach Charli Turner Thorne said.
“They’re going to be very hungry, they’ve got a lot of veterans back, and they’ve got a lot of experience,” Turner Thorne said.
But the biggest factor of all on Sunday could be the rivalry.
“Regardless of where they’re at, what they’ve done and what just happened last week, they’re going to play their hardest and their best against us,” Turner Thorne said.
The non-conference losses for both teams came against opponents with records over .500.
The Wildcats lost to a ranked Texas A&M team and a Nevada team that is currently 13-3. The Sun Devils dropped games early on to Tennessee and Florida State, who are both currently ranked.
So on paper, the two teams appear to be evenly matched, something Simon is looking forward to.
“This is definitely a rivalry game, and I’m definitely taking it to heart,” Simon said. “I haven’t lost (to UA) since I’ve been here. It’s definitely going to be fun.”
The Wildcats have the ability to score inside and outside. Senior forward Ify Ibekwe is averaging almost 15 points a game and pulling down 10.5 rebounds a game this season, and redshirt junior guard Shanita Arnold is averaging almost six assists a game.
However, the Sun Devils have stressed defense all year, and it has paid off. ASU has held opponents to an average of 59 points a game, compared to 68 for UA, and in order to continue winning ASU needs to stick to what they know, Turner Thorne said.
“We want to get back on track and just play good basketball, and every game is huge. You’re in conference play,” she said. ““We get it now. We cannot get away from these things in terms of how we play.”
The Sun Devils will be looking for a big game from senior forward Becca Tobin, who had a career-high 24 points in the loss against Cal last week.
“I was just feeling good, and my foot wasn’t really hurting me anymore, and I was just open,” Tobin said.
Tobin’s return to form could be a huge boost for the Sun Devils, and having this past week off will really help the whole squad, Simon said.
“Thank God we have this full week of practice to rest and recover and also to sit down, concentrate and really watch the things we definitely need to be doing on the court,” Simon said.
The Sun Devils have won 10 straight games against the Wildcats, a streak dating back to Jan. 26 2005.
Reach the reporter at egrasser@asu.edu
