Feb. 29, 2004
PULLMAN, Wash. - Junior Betsy Boardman scored a game-high 19 points as the Sun Devils fell at Washington State 75-72 Saturday afternoon at Friel Court to end the regular season.
Arizona State finished the regular season with a 17-10 overall mark and tied for third in the Pac-10 standings with an 11-7 league mark. The Sun Devils will take on UCLA in their first game at the Pac-10 Tournament next Saturday in San Jose.
Up 26-25 at the 4:27 mark of the first half, the Cougars (6-21, 2-16) ended the opening 20 minutes on a 16-2 run, which was capped by a 3-pointer from freshman Adriane Ferguson with five seconds left.
In the second half, the Sun Devils gradually chipped away at the Cougars' lead and tied the game at 63 on a three-pointer by junior Kylan Loney with 5:48 remaining.
The Cougars responded with a three-pointer of their own to put WSU on top for good at 66-63 with 5:22 left. Ferguson's trey sparked a 7-0 WSU run as the Cougars held a 70-63 lead with 4:04 left.
Five consecutive ASU points brought the Sun Devils to within two at 70-68 with 2:43 left but Singer made good on a 3-point play to extend the Cougars' lead back to five at 73-68.
Once again, ASU threatened with a 4-0 run to close the gap to 73-72 with 18 seconds left, a run capped off by a steal and bucket by freshman Alisha Godette. However, freshman Stephanie Singer clinched the win with a pair of free throws to provide the final winning margin.
ASU's had a chance to tie on a three-pointer by sophomore Amy Denson, but the shot was off the mark as time expired.
Boardman led a quartet of Sun Devils in double figures with 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while junior Carrie Buckner also knocked down 7-of-10 attempts for 16 points. Boardman drained a career-best five three-pointers and went 5-of-6 from beyond the arc in the effort but left the game with two minutes left after suffering a knee injury. Loney (14 points) and Kristen Kovesdy (11 points) completed the contingent of Sun Devils in double figures.
Washington State's Bianca McCall scored 18 points to lead the Cougars. Singer finished with 17 points, including five in the final 2:07 of the game, while Ferguson chipped in 15 for WSU.