Arizona State‘s women’s basketball team faced a new kind of challenge with the start of the Big 12 season, head coach Molly Miller aware that conference play is more physical and intense and games are harder to win.
But win the Sun Devils did. McKinna Brackens’ 18 points off the bench led a balanced attack with four players scoring in double figures, and Arizona State defeated Colorado 79-63 on Sunday, Dec. 21, at Desert Financial Arena.
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The Sun Devils improved to 14-0, adding to the best start to a season in program history. Heloisa Carrera and Gabby Elliott added 14 points each, with 13 for Marley Washenitz.
ASU’s schedule, in the eyes of national ranking voters, apparently hasn’t been tough enough to get the Sun Devils into the Top 25. But maybe that could change come next week.
“It would be a nod to the voters who respect us,” Miller said when asked what a Top 25 ranking would mean to her program, “but in our mind, it’s like, next game. I think it would be a testament to where we’ve been, where we’ve come from, and what we’re doing and the body of work, and that would be appreciated. But I don’t really buy into rankings, I don’t really buy into team records. You have to play the next game in front of you. But these girls deserve that recognition.”
Colorado got as close as 58-56 early in the fourth quarter. Then Elliott, the Sun Devils’ leading scorer this season, who was held scoreless in the third quarter, hit a deep 3-pointer at the 6:26 mark to give ASU A 63-56 lead.
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Colorado lost one of its top scorers, Jade Masogayo, to a fifth personal foul with more than 5 minutes left, and the crowd went wild for two Carrera free throws to give ASU 67 points, in keeping with the latest “6-7” juggling hands trend popular with kids.
Amaya Williams swished a 3 for a 70-58 ASU lead, and Colorado couldn’t catch up.
ASU got off to a hot start, helped by four Colorado turnovers in the first two minutes. The Sun Devils took a 17-2 lead on an Elliott basket from close range with 4:51 to go in the first quarter, and ASU made 10 of 13 shot attempts in the first 10 minutes, including four 3-pointers.
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“It’s really difficult to simulate our defense,” Miller said. “So teams do have to adjust, and in the beginning when you can put that much pressure and disrupt on the defensive end, obviously, it was to our advantage. We play hard, we make things impossible.”
Washenitz made two of those, including a transition make off a steal and feed ahead from Brackens, who didn’t start the game and came off the bench for the first time this season after being medically cleared to play.
The Buffaloes shot well, too, but ASU led 26-15 after one quarter.
Colorado used an 8-0 run in the second quarter to cut ASU’s lead to 33-27. But Brackens found a cutting Deborah Davenport for a layup and a 38-29 lead with 2:36 left in the first half.
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Davenport started for Brackens, her first start of the season.
Arizona State took a 39-31 lead at halftime, having made 58% of its shot attempts. Washenitz and Elliott scored 11 points each in the opening half.
Colorado was the more aggressive team to start the second half, and when Desiree Wooten swished a 3 at the 5:14 mark, ASU’s lead was down to 45-43.
Colorado caused problems on defense by pressuring full court for much of the game, and the Buffaloes’ length made passes more difficult for ASU as the game wore on.
But the Sun Devils kept the lead, going into the fourth quarter ahead 56-49 and never trailing throughout the entire game.
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“The test from them was really awesome for us,” Washenitz said.
“If you get rattled by a run, this isn’t the game for you,” Elliott said. “We know what type of team we are. … This is exactly what Big 12 play is going to be like night in and night out.”
Miller has now won her last 44 non-NCAA Tournament games, going back to last season when she was coaching at Grand Canyon.
José M. Romero can be reached at jose.romero@gannett.com. Follow him on X at @RomeroJoseM or Instagram at @romerojosem.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona State women’s basketball wins Big 12 opener
