The Sun Devils were on fire from the tip on Friday night when they returned home and defeated the University of Washington Huskies 61-41.
ASU knocked down ten shots from the field to start the game and rode that start to a victory over the Huskies, improving to 11-1 at home.
“(It’s) home sweet home and this is a team with no seniors, so they are a little more confident at home,” head coach Charli Turner Thorne said. “We are still building our road warrior mystic.”
ASU was led by redshirt junior forward Courtney Ekmark who dropped 15 points and got eight rebounds on the night. The Sun Devils also received production from sophomore guard Robbi Ryan who picked up 14 points on 6-9 shooting on the night. Ryan also picked up three assists on the night but had trouble taking care of the ball with seven turnovers.
“I think we just came off building from our last game against Cal,” Ekmark said. “We just need to focus on carrying that all through the game and finish the second half stronger.”
Ekmark and Ryan weren't the only dominant scorers on the night, the entire team was feeling the heat from the field as the Sun Devils shot 54 percent from the field and converted 4-11 chances from beyond the arc.
The team also zeroed in defensively and held Washington to under 20 points for almost three quarters, only allowing five points in the second quarter.
“She (Turner Thorne) was on us the whole game about staying intense and playing hard and finishing out quarters,” Ryan said. “(Defense) has been a big emphasis for us.”
The Sun Devils did not take long to get going, opening up an 11-5 lead over the Huskies to start the game.
The offense continued to roll for the Sun Devils, who finally missed their first shot with two minutes left in the first quarter, but at that point ASU led 22-11.
By the start of the second quarter, the Sun Devils put 13 points between themselves and the Huskies.
The Sun Devils' shooting slowed down, but their defense held the Huskies to zero points for the first six minutes of the second quarter. ASU continued to outscore Washington and held onto a 23 point lead at halftime.
ASU started the second half much like it ended the first. With a high shot conversation rate and strong defense, the Sun Devils took a 44-19 lead a little under four minutes into the third quarter.
The fourth quarter started out slower for the Sun Devils, not scoring until almost three minutes had passed.
The Huskies continued to try and claw their way back into the game throughout the fourth, matching the Sun Devils' 15 points, but it was too little too late for the visitors as ASU pulled out the 61-41 win.
ASU will be back in action Sunday afternoon as they take on the Washington State Cougars in Tempe.
Reach the reporter at Joshua.Zaklis@asu.edu and follow @JoshZaklis on Twitter.
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