The ASU women’s basketball team (6-1) was virtually perfect at the Cancun Challenge.
The Sun Devils left Mexico with three wins and the tournament championship, including an exciting overtime takedown of No. 11 University of North Carolina.
ASU, which has now won five straight games, continued to score at a high rate, scoring over 80 points in two of the three games. The Sun Devils have broken the 80-point mark in five of their first seven games.
If one thing is apparent after another weekend of play, it’s that this team is for real.
The weekend started on Thanksgiving with the University of Illinois, a team that entered the tournament 4-1 and averaged more than 92 points per game. But the stifling Sun Devil defense was too much for the Fighting Illini, as ASU limited them to just 60 points and won by a margin of 84-60.
Senior center Joy Burke, who was recovering from a foot injury, totaled 16 points and seven rebounds against Illinois.
The following day, ASU took on No. 11 North Carolina. ASU senior guard Adrianne Thomas sent the game to overtime with a last-second layup, completing an ASU comeback run of 17 points over the last 3:29.
Coach Charli Turner Thorne’s stout defense again held tight, and the Tar Heels scored just four points in the overtime period as ASU went on to defeat its first ranked opponent 94-81. Freshman forward Sophie Brunner recorded her first career double-double in the victory.
The Sun Devils closed out the weekend with a narrow victory over Arkansas State University. ASU shot just 42.3 percent from the floor but managed to take down the Red Wolves 69-66 and return to Tempe as Cancun Challenge champions.
One of the continuing trends of ASU's 2013-14 season has been bench production, and this weekend was no exception. The Sun Devil reserves scored 32 against Illinois, 31 against North Carolina and 29 against Arkansas State.
The ASU women’s basketball team can also look forward to more production from sophomore transfer guard Katie Hempen.
Hempen has shown glimpses of perimeter consistency but has yet to produce at a high level. She was 2-2 from beyond the arc in the Illinois game but has only scored in double digits twice in a Sun Devil uniform.
After the Providence victory, Turner Thorne said the Cancun Challenge would provide an opportunity to see how the Sun Devils fare against better opposition.
In addition to her 16-point and seven rebound performance against Illinois, Burke, who is listed at 6 feet 5 inches, scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds against North Carolina.
The Sun Devils proved this weekend that they can go the distance. Turner Thorne, said she was disappointed in her team's stamina after the San Diego loss, but after coming back against North Carolina and sending it to overtime, the Sun Devils took it up another notch in the overtime to defeat the Tar Heels by 13.
The Sun Devils host the ASU Classic tournament starting Saturday. ASU’s schedule begins with Sacred Heart (2-3), which will have played a midweek game against Iona.
Reach the reporter at bmargiot@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @BenMargiott.
