Feb. 24, 2007
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - Emily Westerberg scored 14 of her 16 points in the second half, including key free throws down the stretch, to give No. 10 Arizona State a 59-54 victory over Arizona on Saturday.
The win gave Arizona State (26-3, 16-2) a single-season school record for victories, passing the previous mark set in 1982. The Sun Devils moved within a half-game of Stanford for the Pac-10 lead.
Westerberg made four free throws in the final 15 seconds to hold off a late charge by the Wildcats, who trailed by 10 with 4:50 left in the game. In the process Westerberg became the school's sixth all-time leading scorer with 1,262 points.
Arizona cut the ASU lead to 55-54 with 15 seconds left on a Malia ONeal jumper only to have Westerberg get fouled and make two free throws a second later.
ONeal had a chance to tie the game but her 3-pointer with 6 seconds remaining hit the front of the rim. Westerberg sealed the outcome with two more free throws.
Arizona State also got 16 points from Aubree Johnson.
Joy Hollingsworth scored 24 points and Ashley Whisonant added 12 for Arizona (10-20, 4-14).
Arizona made a furious comeback to go on an 11-2 run to creep to within 53-52 with 1:04 left on Whisonant's lay-in.
ASU's Reagan Pariseau countered with a jumper from the baseline for her only basket of the game to give the Sun Devils a 55-52 lead with 29 seconds left.
Westerberg gave ASU its biggest lead at 51-41 after following her own miss.
Arizona State started pulling away at the nine minute mark after Westerberg hit two free throws, Briann January connected on a 3-pointer and Johnson made a free throw to give the Sun Devils a 46-37 edge with 7:54 left.