Nov. 14, 2002
TEMPE, Ariz. - Freshman Kristen Kovesdy (Scottsdale, Ariz.) turned in a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds as the Arizona State women's basketball team was edged 78-74 by the West Coast All-Stars to wrap up the exhibition season Thursday night at Wells Fargo Arena.
In the first half, Arizona State jumped out to an early lead, going up 21-10 with 10:56 left when freshman YoVanna Rosenthal (Phoenix, Ariz.) knocked down a jumper. The team led by as many as 15 points in the first half and went into the locker room with a 38-28 advantage. Kovesdy and fellow freshman Amy Denson (Central Point, Ore.) each had 10 points in the first half to lead the Sun Devils. Kovesdy knocked down 5-of-8 attempts and led the team with five rebounds, while Denson went 4-of-6 from the floor.
The West Coast All-Stars, a traveling team of former college standouts, opened the second half on a 16-6 run to pull within one point, 45-44, with 14:04 to play in the game. Arizona State pushed its lead back to eight points midway through the period, but the West Coast All-Stars tied the game at 64 with 3:55 to play. The Sun Devils regained the lead briefly in the next minute, but Akia Hardy, who played collegiately at Long Beach State, scored seven points during that stretch, including a three-pointer with 1:25 to play to give the West Coast All-Stars their first lead of the night, 71-70. Over the final minute, ASU cut the lead to one twice, but the All-Stars hit 5-of-6 free throws over the last 21 seconds to earn the 78-74 victory.
For Arizona State, Kovesdy led the team with 17 points, on 8-of-12 shooting, 11 rebounds and five assists, while Denson finished with 15 points. Fellow freshman Jill Noe (Tualatin, Ore.) added 13 points, including a pair of three-pointers, and seven rebounds. Sophomore Kylan Loney turned in a team-high six assists, and junior Iman Young (San Pablo, Calif.) also chipped in with five assists.
For the West Coast All-Stars, four players scored in double figures, led by Nicky McCrimmon, a former USC standout who now plays for the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks, who had 33 points. Shaunda Greene, a former Washington standout, had 10 points and 11 rebounds.
The Sun Devils open the regular season Friday, Nov. 22 with Chicago State at 8 p.m. at Wells Fargo Arena. The Chicago State game will be part of a doubleheader with the ASU men's team, which opens its season with Morehead State at 5:30 p.m. that night. Fans purchasing a ticket for the men's game will receive free admission to the women's game, which will tip off 30 minutes after the conclusion of the men's game.
For tickets, call the Arizona State ticket office at (480) 965-2381 or log onto the official web site of Arizona State athletics at www.thesundevils.com.