Junior guard Arnecia Hawkins 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)ASU women's basketball head coach Charli Turner Thorne recognizes how difficult the upcoming series against Cal and No. 13 Stanford will be. The implications and magnitude of it are enormous.
If No. 14 ASU (15-1, 4-0 Pac-12) can sweep another weekend, it’ll jump into the national spotlight. Historically, these teams are good. This year, these teams are really good.
On Friday, ASU takes on Cal (11-4, 3-1 Pac-12). The Golden Bears have been lauded as of late and came into the season with high expectations. In ESPN’s November preview for the season, Cal was placed at No. 13. Two of the Golden Bears' players were ranked in the top 25; at No. 14, senior forward Reshanda Gray, and at No. 18, senior guard Brittany Boyd.
“They have two of the best players, many people think, not just in the conference, but in the country,” Turner Thorne said.
Although Cal as a team hasn’t met expectations, the two have not disappointed in this young season. Gray leads the team in points with 18.6 and averages 7.2 rebounds, but Boyd is turning into the star.
Her stat line of 14.3 points, 8.6 rebounds, 8.6 assists and 3.3 steals per game is beyond impressive.
ASU has been strong at containing stars. Against Washington, the Sun Devils contained sophomore guard Kelsey Plum well. Against Arizona, redshirt senior guard Candice Warthen didn’t achieve her typical success. ASU also defeated Washington State's dynamic duo, junior guard Lia Galdeira and senior guard Tia Presley.
Against Cal, ASU will see depth it hasn't yet experienced. Like Boyd, sophomore forward Courtney Range averages 14.3 points and more than eight rebounds per contest. She’s coming back into the lineup after missing time due to injury. Freshman forward Mikayla Cowling stepped up in her place, and despite coming off the bench in seven of her 14 games, she’s averaging 12 points per game on the season.
Turner Thorne was confident her team would be ready, but she said it needed to recommit themselves to defense. Despite two huge victories last week, she said the defense, particularly when rotating, could be improved. As a team, she said, the defense wasn’t spectacular.
“It’s going to be about transition defense and controlling the boards and limiting their two big scorers,” she said.
After facing Cal, ASU goes up against a school that’s competed in six of the last seven Final Fours.
Stanford (12-4, 4-0 Pac-12) squeaked in right ahead of ASU in this week’s AP Poll, and the Cardinal have the history and personnel to back it up.
Sophomore guard Lili Thompson is an explosive guard averaging more than 15 points per game and has the fifth-best three-point percentage in the NCAA. Stanford is the only team to defeat No. 2 UConn this season. The Cardinal have experience on their side, facing an ASU school with just one senior.
Turner Thorne said one of the reasons for Stanford’s continued success is its ability to recruit All-American centers. They don’t have that this year for the first time in “eight or nine years,” Turner Thorne said; however, sophomore forward Kaylee Johnson is one of the top rebounders in the conference.
She’s not as talented on the offensive end as Stanford bigs in the past, and as a result, the team is shifting its offensive play style. The Cardinal turned into a three-point shooting team and with Thompson leading the way, the Cardinal has the fourth-highest three-point percentage in the league.
ASU’s opponents shoot only .213 against them from behind the arc, which will help against Stanford. The rebounding could be an issue, though.
Sophomore forward Sophie Brunner is the only player who averages more than 5.5 rebounds per contest, and ASU is second-to-last in the Pac-12 in rebounds per game.
Turner Thorne has taken note of this and mentioned it before, but she is not overly concerned.
“I’m pretty critical,” she said. “We’ve been plus (6.8 rebounds) all year. … We need to separate ourselves more.
Sophomore center Quinn Dornstauder will play an important role coming off the bench over the entire weekend. Although she lacks some toughness, she’s able to find the ball well coming off the glass. At 6 feet 4 inches, she uses her height to her advantage.
“Quinn uses her size really well,” Turner Thorne said. “We’re trying to get Quinn to be a little more physical, to be honest, and just box out a little bit better at times.”
ASU’s schedule hasn’t been easy — victories over Lehigh, Northwestern and Washington, the latter of whom beat Cal last week — but this weekend will be the hardest it has seen so far.
“We’re ready for it,” Turner Thorne said. “The team … likes a challenge and knows that these teams are the other top teams in the conference.”
Reach the reporter at logan.newman@asu.edu or follow @Logan_Newsman on Twitter.
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