Nov. 29, 2003
FREEPORT, Grand Bahama Island - Freshman forward Emily Westerberg scored 11 points as Arizona State fell to George Washington 58-45 in the third-place game at the Junkanoo Jam, held this weekend at Freeport's St. George High School.
For the second game in a row, Arizona State (2-2) started slow, turning the ball over four times in the first three minutes and missing its first four shots. ASU fell behind 6-0 with 16:13 to play in the first but scored the next five points to cut the gap to one two minutes later. The Sun Devils took their first lead, 9-8, with 12:08 to play after buckets by freshman Aubree Johnson and sophomore Jenny Thigpin, and the game stayed close over the next seven minutes with neither team leading by more than two points. George Washington (1-2) turned in a 5-0 run late in the half to go up by six points and had that same lead at the break with a 27-21 halftime advantage.
After falling behind 10 points, 38-28, with 12:53 to play in the game, the Sun Devils turned in a 12-2 run to tie the game at 40 with 7:47 remaining, a stretch that included a pair of baskets by Westerberg. However, ASU could not get over the hump, and George Washington scored 14 of the next 16 points in the game to take a 42-56 lead with 2:17 to play and secure the 58-45 victory.
Westerberg led the Sun Devil effort with 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting. Boardman and Johnson each added eight points, while Johnson led the team in rebounding for the second game in a row with six boards and had a team-high four assists.
The Sun Devils return to action at home next weekend, playing host to the Wells Fargo Holiday Classic Dec. 5-6 at Wells Fargo Arena. Arizona State will take on Western Michigan in the first game at 6 p.m. Friday night and either Montana State or Binghamton in the second round on Saturday. Saturday's consolation game will be held at 4 p.m., while the championship game will tip off at 6:30 p.m.
Both of ASU's games in the tournament will be televised to a statewide audience on AZ-TV, while both contests can be heard locally on NBC 1190 AM or via the internet at www.thesundevils.com.