Nov. 19, 2000
TEMPE, Ariz. - Three Sun Devils scored in double figures as the Arizona State women's basketball cruised to a 74-39 win over South Florida Sunday afternoon at Wells Fargo Arena.
The Sun Devils (2-0 on the season) built a 17-point lead at halftime (35-18), ending the half on a 12-5 run that included a pair of three-pointers by senior guard Natalie Tucker and one by sophomore guard Brett Leonard. Arizona State shot 43 percent in the first half (12-28), while the team held South Florida (0-1 on the season) to just 19 percent shooting and only four field goals in the first 20 minutes.
In the second half, the Sun Devils quickly put the game away, forcing 11 turnovers in the first 14 minutes of the half to take a 65-28 lead with 6:0. Junior guard Amanda Levens turned in 11 of her 14 points in the second half to lead ASU to the victory, the team's largest since defeating Texas-San Antonio 70-35 in San Antonio on Dec. 19 last season.
Levens led the game with 14 points, while Tucker finished with 12 points. Sophomore guard/forward Sarah Allen had 10 points, while junior center Melody Johnson fell just short of a double-double for the second straight game with nine points and nine rebounds.
As a team, the Sun Devils dominated on the boards, finishing with a 47-25 advantage in that category including a 23-11 advantage in the second half.
For South Florida, no player reached double figures, while sophomore guard Aiya Shepard had eight points to lead the team.
Arizona State next heads to Honolulu for the Rainbow Wahine Classic Nov. 24-26. The Sun Devils will take on Stephen F. Austin in the first round of the tournament at 4:20 p.m. MST on Friday, Nov. 24. The Sun Devils will then take on either Hawaii or UC Irvine on Saturday, Nov. 25, while the tournament will wrap up on Sunday. All of ASU's games in the Rainbow Wahine Classic will be heard live on XTRA 910 AM or via the internet at www.thesundevils.com.