The focus is on their game.
In the early part of the season the ASU women’s basketball team has simple goals in mind and a simple mindset going into each contest.
Coach Joseph Anders said what his team is concerned about at this point in the season.
“Focus on ourselves, take care of us, let’s do us right now and if we do us we’ll be fine,” Anders said.
ASU (2-0) faces the challenge of their next non-conference opponent at home, Boston College (1-1).
The Sun Devils started the season on the right foot winning their first two games.
On the other hand, BC has had a rough start to their season. After the Eagles beat Fairleigh Dickinson they fell to Rutgers by 16 points Wednesday night.
Unlike BC, ASU has not played a game this week, and had a full week of practice time to prepare for the game this weekend.
Senior guard Alex Earl said the team has attacked in practices, but the break in games has been good for the team.
“Pac-12 will be here before we know it so it’s kind of a nice break for us,” Earl said.
Early in the year it is hard to tell who the offensive production leader is for any team.
For BC, the offense has been flowing from sophomore guard Shayra Brown. Brown is averaging 10.5 points in their first two games.
ASU will be looking for junior guard Michaela Pickens to continue her offensive production. The junior has 20 points so far this season.
Anders said that BC will likely be looking to stifle the Sun Devils’ offense.
“It will be difficult this week because of the fact defensively this team really comes at you,” Anders said. “We have to maintain our poise, we have to stay calm and we have to stay confident.”
In ASU’s last two games it has been two different shooting stories for the Sun Devils. Against UC Riverside, ASU shot 50.9 and against Colorado State, they finished at 29.8 percent from the floor.
Freshman guard Promise Amukamara said the team has to be more confident when they take a shot.
“We just need to throw our ball out there and not think about our shot,” Amukamara said.
After the game against Riverside, Anders said he was only disappointed in ASU’s defense, which allowed 21 free throws to the Highlanders. He said that the team has been working on cleaner play.
“We can’t guard you from the free throw line,” Anders said. “We have to do a better job of not getting you there, and you do that by taking your hand off of each other in practice and playing cleaner basketball.”
The team’s goals are simple heading into the game this weekend. They want to defeat Boston College, a small stepping-stone toward their main goal of a Pac-12 championship.
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