Diving for loose balls, forcing turnovers and taking charges.
Those, and more, have been focal points of the defensive identity of ASU women's basketball since head coach Molly Miller took over.
None of this was a surprise. When she arrived on campus, she was clear about the style of basketball her team would play, and it has shown in the team's statistics early in this season.
"It's going to be relentless," Miller said. "We're going to get after it. We're going to dive on the floor. 'First to ball' is something I say. (If) there's a loose ball, a 50/50 ball, it's 100% ours."
These intentions were expected. During her tenure at GCU, she ran a similar style of defense.
In her final season coaching the Lopes, GCU finished fifth in the country in steals during a season where the Lopes went 32-3.
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Miller sees defense as a topic of effort. When picking players for her new roster after arriving at ASU, she scouted specifically for that.
"Our tendency when we went to the portal was to comb through game film, and then look at some non-negotiables," Miller said. "That's a motor for me. Are they having, not second effort, but third effort, and fourth effort and fifth effort on plays? I look at the bench. Are they golf clapping, or are they energetic and excited for their teammates?"
Since the season started, Miller and her team have delivered on their promises regarding the defense.
During Miller's first game coaching, ASU forced 33 turnovers en route to a 67-53 victory over Coppin State.
After an impressive defensive effort during the first game of the season, senior guard Marley Washenitz recognized how important the team's defense is.
"It starts on defense," Washenitz said. "We're very cognizant of the fact that our defense runs a majority of our energy. It's really awesome that we feed off of that. You saw Hel (sophomore forward Heloisa Carrera) take charge at the beginning of the game, and everyone was there to cheer her on.”
Through a strong start to the season, Miller has already seen an improvement in ASU's defensive numbers.
Compared to last season, the Sun Devils are forcing around six more turnovers per game, three more steals per game and opponents are shooting five percent worse.
Another important stat for Miller is rebounding, specifically on the offensive side of the court.
With offensive rebounds allowing the team to make up for missed shots, ASU is grabbing roughly three more offensive boards per game under Miller compared to last season, out-rebounding opponents 67-52 on offensive rebounds.
The numbers translate to defensive boards as well, with the Sun Devils out-rebounding opponents 140-115 on defensive rebounds.
With an undefeated start and belief surging through the locker room in Tempe, the defense has been the backbone for Molly Miller's squad in her first season at ASU.
After an opening game where graduate student guard Gabby Elliott forced seven steals, she played off the impressive stat and opened the door for her teammates.
"It's just a part of our defense," Elliot said. "Tonight, it was me with seven steals. Tomorrow, next game, it could be Marley (Washenitz), it could be McKinna (Brackens), so be prepared to see a lot of numbers like that."
Edited by Alan Deutschendorf, George Headley and Ellis Preston.
Reach the reporter at aswift10@asu.edu and follow @alexswiftsports on X.
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