After suffering a narrow overtime defeat at the hands of the No. 13 Kentucky Wildcats, No. 18 ASU women's basketball (0-1) is headed to Dallas for a duel with SMU.
The Mustangs (1-1) are a high-scoring team that loves to get out and run, and head coach Charli Turner Thorne said her team has been developing a game plan to counter that tempo.
"We've gotta be ready for road life," Turner Thorne said. "SMU is a great transition team. They can really fill it up if you let them, so we need to sharpen up."
Averaging 76.5 points per game through its first two games, SMU will be a major test for the Sun Devils on defense, even for a group that held Kentucky to 21 percent shooting in the first half of its season opener.
The Mustangs are led by a "big three" that do a significant portion of the damage on the offensive end: 6-foot-3 sophomore forward Alicia Froling (19.5 points per game), 5-foot-10 junior guard Ashley Gibson (15.5 points per game) and 6-foot-5 sophomore forward Stephanie Collins (13.5 points per game).
All three players can light up the scoreboard, but it's Froling who stands out among the talented trio. She's shooting 90 percent from the free throw line so far in 2015, which is impressive for a post player, and grabbing 14.5 rebounds per game.
Junior forwards Kelsey Moos and Sophie Brunner will have their hands full with Froling in the post on Saturday.
Brunner led the way for ASU against Kentucky, scoring 19 points on 3 of 3 from downtown to go along with seven rebounds and four assists.
Brunner said the Sun Devils are more focused on themselves than the opponent coming into their second game, but that holding the Mustangs' best players in check will be a key.
"We've been focusing on our defense and stopping them first," Brunner said. "Good defense will lead to good offense, so that's our focus right now: transition defense and stopping their key players."
Early season jitters are normal at this time of year, and Turner Thorne acknowledged that, but focus and execution are two messages that have resonated with ASU players and coaches in the week of practice following the 68-64 overtime loss to Kentucky.
Sustaining the defensive pressure applied in the first half of the Kentucky game will be a point of emphasis for the Sun Devils, and complacency on the offensive side just won't cut it against the high-scoring Mustangs.
Senior guard Elisha Davis, who shot 4 for 14 from the field and 1 of 8 from three in the opener, said her team had good energy but were frustrated with their individual mistakes.
"We're focused on being connected with each other and execution," Davis said. "We did good (rebounding) in the first half, but we got comfortable in the second half and didn't sustain that relentlessness. We had 21 turnovers, and a lot of them were unforced, so I think we need to just take what the defense gives us."
ASU's road matchup with SMU tips off at 12 p.m. Arizona time on Saturday, Nov. 21.
Reach the reporter at rclarke6@asu.edu or follow @RClarkeASU on Twitter.
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