Jan. 20, 2000
TEMPE, Ariz.- All five Sun Devil starters tallied double figures in scoring as the Arizona State women's basketball team defeated the USC Trojans 78-74 in overtime Thursday night at Wells Fargo Arena. The Sun Devils improved to 11-4 overall and 4-1 in the Pac-10, while the Women of Troy fell to 7-7 and 2-2 in league action.
Sophomore Theresa Jantzen (Medicine Hat, Alberta) and senior Kitch Kitchen (Newark, N.J.) each scored 17 points to lead the Sun Devils, while freshman Sarah Allen (Cincinnati, Ohio) posted 12, and junior Natalie Tucker (Georgetown, Texas) and senior Rachel Holt (Buckeye, Ariz.) each added 11.
USC led nearly the entire first half and held a 36-32 advantage heading into the locker room at halftime. The Trojans maintained control of the game for the opening six and a half minutes of the second half, not allowing a Sun Devil field goal. However, Arizona State began its comeback at the free-throw line, cutting the lead to one when Kitchen hit a free throw at the 11:01 mark to make it 44-43.
The Women of Troy kept a small lead over the next seven minutes until Kitchen tied the game at 54 with another free throw at the 4:35 mark. Allen then gave the Sun Devils their first lead since early in the ball game with 4:09 remaining in the game when she scored on a layup and then hit a free throw to convert the three-point play.
Arizona State built up a three-point lead in the waning minutes of regulation, but USC senior Erica Mashia, who led her team with 17 points, hit a three-pointer with 0:08 left on the clock to send the game into overtime.
Each team made three field goals in the extra period, but it was the points at the line that made the difference for Arizona State, which hit 8-of-12 free throws in the overtime. Tucker led the Sun Devils with seven points in the extra period, including a pair of layups, while Kitchen had five points and one steal. Overall, Arizona State went 24-of-39 from the charity stripe, while USC was 13-of-19.
"There are going to be a lot of close games in the Pac-10. I definitely think the team that shows they can keep their poise, execute and make most of their free throws is going to be successful," said Arizona State head coach Charli Turner Thorne. "It truly is about toughness, being able to execute and getting better."
"Fouls and offensive boards were the biggest factors in this game," said USC head coach Chris Gobrecht. "The offensive boards in the second half really got them back into the game - aside from their advantages at the line."
The Sun Devils return to action on Saturday night when they play host to the No. 12 UCLA Bruins at Wells Fargo Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game can be heard on KTKP 1280 AM with Robby Robinson and Jennifer Adams calling the action.