It took an extra 15 minutes but No. 19 ASU was able to defeat the USC Trojans 76-75 in triple overtime on Friday afternoon.
Trailing 73-75, senior guard Robbi Ryan drove into the lane, missed a contested layup and picked up the loose rebound with five seconds left with ASU needing a score. The ball was kicked out to senior guard Reili Richardson, who hit the dagger with 1.9 seconds left.
After calling a timeout, USC got the ball back trailing by one, but missed a deep three at the buzzer.
In each of the first two overtimes, ASU led by two points with less than 10 seconds in the period, needing a stop. Both times, USC made clutch shots to extend the game five more minutes.
Richardson scored a career-high 24 points on 9-21 shooting, hitting several clutch shots down the stretch including the game-winner.
Ryan spoke to the Sun Devils' knack for winning grind-it-out games similar to Friday’s contest.
“We didn’t obviously play our best, but we’re tough,” Ryan said. "So, even when we don’t play well, we find ways to win, and I think that’s what we did today.”
After the game, ASU head coach Charli Turner Thorne noted her philosophy on late game situations.
“Any close game, any one possession game just makes you tougher," Turner Thorne said. "It just helps you learn how to take games and find a way.”
It was an emotional Friday afternoon in Tempe as this win marked the 500th victory in Turner Thorne's career.
“It just makes you reflect on all the incredible players, incredible staff,” Turner Thorne said. “When you reach a milestone win like this, it gives you a chance to just appreciate all the relationships that I’ve had through college basketball.”
It will be a quick turnaround for the Sun Devils as they host No. 8 UCLA (18-1) at 12 p.m. MST on Sunday. ASU will look to avenge one of its toughest losses of the season, when they fell to the Bruins in the final seconds of the game in Los Angeles.
Reach the reporter at ltochter@asu.edu and follow @Leo_Toch on Twitter.
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