Oh, Canada.
It was "Canada Night" at Wells Fargo Arena in honor of Saskatchewan-born ASU women's basketball's junior center Quinn Dornstauder. After warming up to some of the latest hits from Drake, a fellow Canadian, Dornstauder sang along to every word of her country's national anthem: "Oh Canada".
But it was junior forward Sophie Brunner who starred in No. 9 ASU's 61-39 victory over Washington State, achieving a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds on 6-of-11 shooting.
Brunner said that, despite her impressive scoring performances as of late, she likes it better when she's not shooting the ball. Her mindset is a testament to the balance and unselfishness of this ASU team.
"I have a lot more fun when we're sharing the ball and everyone's getting touches," Brunner said. "Obviously if I have a good opportunity to score I'm going to call for the ball, but I think we all just do a good job of playing to each other's strengths and knowing our roles."
ASU (23-4, 14-1 Pac-12) began their penultimate home game of the season on an 8-0 run fueled by three-pointers from senior guards Katie Hempen and Arnecia Hawkins. The Sun Devils shot 4-of-4 from beyond the arc in the first quarter of play.
ASU held a 9-point lead in the waining moments of the first, but allowed two quick buckets in the final few seconds to allow the Cougars (12-14, 3-12 Pac-12) back within five.
At the beginning of the second quarter, ASU had a run of its own in response, one of many in this game that allowed it to build such a hefty lead. The Sun Devils started the second on a 10-0 run to balloon their advantage to 30-15, relying heavily on the inside shot rather than the three-point line.
Senior point guard Elisha Davis said it makes life easier to have a team around her that can play the inside-out game so efficiently.
"I think that speaks highly to our team being connected," Davis said. "When we try to play individual, we are very stagnant — we've learned that and we're trying to adjust so we don't fall into that."
ASU headed to halftime up 36-23, but they weren't done making scoring runs just yet.
The third quarter provided another lop-sided stretch in favor of the Sun Devils as they rattled off 12 straight points to take a 48-25 lead. Brunner was the catalyst throughout every run ASU made on Friday, fiercely rebounding and finding lanes in Wazzu's struggling defense.
There would be no comeback for the Cougars, who fell even further below .500 with the loss.
With the win, the Sun Devils remain tied atop the Pac-12 standings with No. 7 Oregon State entering their home finale. ASU will face Washington on Sunday at 12 p.m. for senior night before traveling to Los Angeles to finish the regular season against USC and No. 12 UCLA.
ASU head coach Charli Turner Thorne said she was expecting a closer game against Washington State, but the end result is a positive sign for her team.
"I know one thing: I know that we're not getting worse," Turner Thorne said. "I think we're very consistent, and there's definitely some areas we'll talk about, but I thought all in all it was just a great team win."
Reach the reporter at rclarke6@asu.edu or follow @RClarkeASU on Twitter.
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