Unable to replicate its previous shooting success, the ASU women’s basketball team (1-1) dropped its first match of the season Wednesday night, falling to San Diego (2-0) 53-61 at the Jenny Craig Pavilion in San Diego.
The Sun Devils, who shot nearly 56 percent from the floor Saturday against Hawaii, shot just over 33 percent Wednesday.
“If we hit shots today, we win,” coach Charli Turner Thorne said. “But maybe this is the lesson that this team needs because if we’re going to be an NCAA team, if we’re going to be at the caliber we want to be, they have to know who they are.”
ASU struggled to come alive offensively in the first half, shooting just 40 percent from the floor. The bright spot for the Sun Devils was the offensive explosion by freshman forward Sophie Brunner, who had 10 points and five rebounds after 20 minutes of play. Senior guard Deja Mann, senior center Joy Burke, and sophomore guard Katie Hempen combined for just four points in the first half.
“(Mann) and (Hempen), who looked so good against Hawaii, just looked like they hadn’t played for a year today,” Turner Thorne said. “They were very rusty, they didn’t hit shots, they just weren’t sharp on either end of the floor.”
Mann ended up with 12 points but shot just 2-9 from the floor, relying on 7-7 free-throw shooting to constitute her offense. Hempen scored six points on 3-13 shooting.
“Their not having played for a while really showed today because we really need those two,” Turner Thorne said. “We need those two to step up. We just saw some of the returners fall back into old habits in terms of just not having that killer instinct.”
The Toreros came out hot to start the second half, scoring ten unanswered points to open up a sizeable lead. But the Sun Devils wouldn’t go down without a fight, battling back to tie the game at 45. However, ASU gave up a 9-0 run and failed to capitalize on several late mistakes by USD, dropping the game 53-61.
Turner Thorne said the Sun Devils didn’t play with much energy, and didn’t work hard enough to win.
“Even in our pressing, I didn’t feel like we really wanted to work that hard,” Turner Thorne said. “If we’re not going to outwork somebody, we’re going to struggle.”
In addition to not outworking the Toreros, ASU simply wasn’t conditioned well enough to play 40 minutes of high-paced basketball.
“Our game shape isn’t quite there,” Turner Thorne said. “I needed to leave people in for specific reasons and matchups and I couldn’t.”
Brunner and freshman forward Kelsey Moos both recorded seven rebounds, and Brunner scored 12 points on 6-9 shooting.
“Kelsey Moos and Sophie Brunner were amazing tonight,” Turner Thorne said. “I didn’t want to take them out of the game.”
ASU continues its two-game road stretch Sunday at noon in Lubbock, Texas against the Lady Raiders of Texas Tech.
Additional Notes
-USD coach Cindy Fisher graduated from ASU in 1988 with a degree in physical education. She did not play basketball for the Sun Devils because of a hip injury.
-ASU, which shot 9-23 from beyond the arc against Hawaii, was just 1-12 from three-point range Wednesday night.
-USD senior guard Amy Kame eclipsed the 1,000 point mark for her career Wednesday night with an 11-point performance.
Reach the reporter at bmargiot@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @BenMargiott
