Jan. 9, 2003
SEATTLE, Wash. - Freshman forward Amy Denson tied her career high with 18 points as Arizona State fell to Washington 69-56 Thursday night at UW's Bank of America Arena.
The loss snapped ASU's two-game Pac-10 winning streak and dropped the Sun Devils to 10-4 overall and 2-3 in the Pac-10. Washington improved to 11-2 on the year and 3-1 in the league. The Huskies, who were playing in their first Pac-10 home game of the year, honored sophomore Kayla Burt who was diagnosed with a career-ending rare heart condition and underwent surgery last week.
The Sun Devils trailed from the beginning, falling behind 8-0 in the first four minutes of the game. ASU shot just 20.7 percent (6-29) and scored a season-low 14 points in the first half. Husky junior Giuliana Mendiola had 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting in the first half to lead Washington to a 33-14 halftime lead.
In the second half, Washington continued to build on its lead, going up 39-18 with 18:28 to play, but the Sun Devils cut the lead to 15 after an 8-2 run to make it 41-26 with 16:49 remaining. The Huskies pushed their lead to 25 points midway through the half, but ASU scored the next eight points to cut the lead to 17, 59-42 with 6:20 remaining. Denson scored 10 of her career-high-tying 18 points over the final 2:14 in the 69-56 Husky victory.
For the Sun Devils, Denson knocked down 7-of-14 shots and pulled down nine rebounds in 24 minutes, while freshman Kristen Kovesdy finished with seven points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore Kylan Loney had 11 points and knocked down a pair of three-pointers.
UW's Mendiola led all scorers with 22 points and also turned in 10 rebounds and five assists for the Huskies.
Arizona State returns to action Saturday night at Washington State (0-12, 0-4), taking on the Cougars at 7 p.m. PST/8 p.m. MST at Friel Court in Pullman, Wash. ASU's game at Washington State can be heard via the internet at www.thesundevils.com.