Senior guard Promise Amukamara drives to the basket in a game against Middle Tennessee, Friday. Nov. 14, 2014 at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe. The Sun Devils defeated the Blue Raiders 81-67. (Photo by Ben Moffat)In a game throughout which neither team truly separated itself from the other, ASU women's basketball hit the big shots it needed to down the stretch to pull out a 65-61 win over Miami.
After Miami went on a 12-2 run midway through the second half, the Sun Devils clawed their way back thanks to an 8-0 run in the late stages.
Sophomore forward Kelsey Moos nailed a key three-pointer with 4:10 left in the game to tie the game at 55. Miami, which led by as much as 10 in the game, would not lead again.
On the ensuing possession redshirt junior guard Katie Hempen came away with a steal and hit a jumper to give ASU the lead.
Hempen, who led the Sun Devils with 17 points on 6-13 shooting, followed it up with a long three to widen the gap. It was her third three-pointer on the night.
While the teams were close in almost all categories statistically, the widest gap by far was in three-point shooting. ASU went 9-19 from behind the arc while Miami hit just three shots from deep.
The Hurricanes made a late charge, cutting the lead to just one with 1:14 left on the clock but the team couldn't hit any of the big shots it needed to get over the hump.
Miami guard Michelle Woods missed a shot in the final minute which would have given her team the lead and ASU senior guard Promise Amukamara grabbed the rebound and hit both her subsequent free throws to seal the victory.
Amukamara scored 13 points on 4-9 shooting with three rebounds and two assists on the night.
Reach the sports editor at icbeck@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @ICBeck21
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