ASU women's basketball bounced back from a cold offensive performance in its first-round loss to defeat Missouri 50-39 in the consolation bracket of the Women's National Invitation Tournament on Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas.
ASU limited Missouri's offense to its lowest single-game point total of the season. ASU held Missouri to 38.6% shooting from the field and forced 16 turnovers.
"We just rode the power of team and ... we know what it feels like and what it looks like when we all just help each other," ASU head coach Charli Turner Thorne said. "This is the type of game we want."
Freshman guard Jaddan Simmons filled the stat sheet for the Sun Devils, finishing the game with 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
After making just three of 10 shots from the field and committing four turnovers in ASU's loss to Rice University on Friday, Simmons said she was excited for the opportunity to rebound 24 hours later.
"Yesterday was pretty rough, so we know we just had to bounce back and we did what we had to do to win this game," Simmons said. "That's why I'm kind of glad the tournament teams play back-to-back, so you don't have time to dwell on it and you can just forget it."
Turner Thorne praised Simmons' growth and performance despite dealing with obstacles during her freshman season, mentioning that Simmons flew into Fort Worth for the tournament from her grandmother's funeral.
"She's had an amazing freshman campaign and, you know, of course there's been ups and downs, and I think she really really responded well from yesterday's game," Turner Thorne said. "I couldn't be more proud (of) how she's stayed focused and stayed energized."
Had the Sun Devils lost, they would have been eliminated and sent home, something the team wasn't ready to do just yet, junior guard Taya Hanson said.
"It was a full team effort, everyone was working their butts off, we were playing great some great defense," Hanson said. "We came here to win, and we didn't want to go home yet. So we played with our hearts, and I mean, yeah, ... we love to play in March.
Hanson scored 12 points on 50% shooting, with each of her makes coming on 3-pointers. Seven other players outside of Simmons and Hanson scored but none of their totals exceeded four points.
ASU will move on in the consolation bracket to face Houston on March 22, at 2 p.m. MST.
Reach the reporter at ltochter@asu.edu and follow @Leo_Toch on Twitter.
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