Jan. 25, 2007
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) - Jill Noe scored a season-high 19 points and No. 10 Arizona State defeated 20th-ranked California 66-54 Thursday night for its seventh straight victory.
Emily Westerberg added 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Sun Devils (19-2, 9-1 Pac-10), who won for the 34th time in 35 home games.
Ashley Walker led Cal (15-5, 6-4) with 20 points and eight rebounds, and Devanei Hampton added 15 points and seven rebounds.
Cal closed to 47-45 midway through the second half, but seniors Noe and Westerberg went to work, combining for 17 straight points to help the Sun Devils pull away.
The win sets up a showdown between ASU and No. 9 Stanford on Saturday at Wells Fargo Arena.
It was the Sun Devils' first game without guard Dymond Simon, who is out for the season with a knee injury. Simon averaged 9.1 points per game, fifth on the team, and provided a spark off the bench.
ASU outrebounded the taller Golden Bears 41-22.
The Sun Devils, who defeated Cal 74-58 in Berkeley on Dec. 28, led 19-9 midway through the first half. But Cal went on a 13-5 run and pulled within 28-24 at the half.
The Golden Bears' spurt was fueled by Walker, who scored 12 of Cal's 24 first-half points on 6-of-11 shooting.
The teams traded runs throughout the second half.
The Sun Devils opened the second half with a 7-1 run. The key was a 3-point play by reserve guard Danielle Orsillo, who scored on a layup and drew a foul on Walker, her third.
Cal responded with a 7-0 run to pull within 37-35 with 13:26 to go, but Arizona State turned up the defensive pressure and put together a 7-1 run.
The Sun Devils led 47-43 when coach Charli Turner Thorne drew a technical foul for arguing with the officials. Walker hit both free throws to pull the Bears within two, but the technical seemed to inspire the Sun Devils, who outscored Cal 19-9 the rest of the way.
Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano served as the Sun Devils' guest coach, sitting on the bench and attending team meetings in the locker room. Arizona State is 4-0 with Napolitano helping out on the bench.