Jan. 23, 2013
UP NEXT
The Arizona State women's basketball team continues its current four-game road trip when it makes its annual trip to La-La Land this weekend to take on USC (Friday at 7 p.m. PT/8 p.m. MT) and No. 19/20 UCLA (Sunday at 2 p.m. PT/3 p.m. MT).
The Sun Devils (10-8, 2-4 Pac-12) come into this week's action in ninth place in the Pac-12 standings after dropping road games last week at Colorado and at Utah. Only two games separate third and ninth place in what has proven to be a much-improved conference this season. The Sun Devils trail Arizona and Oregon State (both 3-3 in the Pac-12 and tied for eighth place) by one game and Colorado, UCLA, Washington and USC (all 4-2 and tied for third place) by two games. Stanford and California currently sit atop the Pac-12 with identical 5-1 league records.
Both of ASU's losses last week followed a similar script as the Sun Devils were extremely competitive in the first half, however were not able to sustain their effectiveness in the second half.
At Colorado, freshman Haley Videckis scored all of her career-best-tying 11 points in the first half to help the Sun Devils build a 26-22 lead at the break. The iron would be unkind to ASU in the second half, however, as only four of its 30 shots found their mark (13.4 percent) in an eventual 57-43 loss.
Two days later at Utah, the Sun Devils led by as many as seven in the first half before eventually falling behind by five at the half. ASU was unable to match Utah's attack in the second half at the Utes shot 63 percent and made all 12 of their free throws on their way to a 66-46 win. The Sun Devils shot only 29 percent in the second half as they were outscored 37-22 over the final 20 minutes.
Both USC (7-10, 4-2 Pac-12) and UCLA (13-4, 4-2 Pac-12) opened the Pac-12 season 4-0 with wins over the Oregon (away) and Washington (home) schools. Both teams would also drop their road contests at No. 7 Cal and No. 6 Stanford last week.
USC is led by junior forward Cassie Harberts, who is third in the Pac-12 in scoring (17.3 ppg), and sophomore guard Ariya Crook, who is 10th (14.0 ppg).
Prior to last week's losses, UCLA had a six-game winning-streak and had won 11 of 12 games. The Bruins are second in the Pac-12 in scoring averaging 71.4 points a game and have four players ranked in the top 30 in the Pac-12 in scoring led by Markel Walker, who is 19th (12.3 ppg).
RADIO/VIDEO STREAM
Friday's game at USC can be heard on The Fan AM 1060 (coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. MT). Veteran broadcaster and the state of Arizona's 2010 Broadcaster of the Year Jeff Munn is in his ninth season as the voice of ASU women's basketball.
Friday's game at USC will also be streamed live on the Pac-12's website.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Sun Devil head coach Charli Turner Thorne needs one more win to become the third coach in Pac-12 history (Tara VanDerveer and Chris Gobrecht) to reach 300 victories (has 299 as ASU's head coach and 339 for her career).
ASU's recent five-game winning streak (snapped by Washington on Jan. 4) represented the 19th time since 2001 the Sun Devils have had a winning streak of five or more games.
Four of ASU's eight losses have been by seven or fewer points.
ASU has had the same starting lineup in all but one game this season (G - Promise Amukamara, G - Micaela Pickens, F - Janae Fulcher, C - Joy Burke). Freshman G Arnecia Hawkins made her first career start in ASU's most recent game at Utah (Jan. 20).
ASU has shot better than 50 percent four times this season, already exceeding the number of times it shot above 50 percent during the entire 2011-12 season (3 times).
Only seven opponents have shot above 34 percent in ASU's last 14 games.
As of Jan. 23, ASU ranks in the top half of the Pac-12 in assists (third, 14.0 apg), rebounding margin (fifth, +4.3), rebounding defense (fifth, 34.4 rpg), field goal percentage (fifth, .416), blocks (fifth, 4.1 bpg), field goal percentage (sixth, .411), scoring defense (sixth, 58.3 ppg) and steals (sixth/9.3 spg).
ASU's bench has scored 25 or more points eight times this season.
The Sun Devils have had 15 or more assists 10 times in their last 15 games. They recorded a season-best 23 assists vs. San Diego (Dec. 12). Adrianne Thomas (3.1 apg - 10th) is currently among the Pac-12's leaders in assists.
The Sun Devils started the season playing six of their first nine games away from home. They are currently in the midst of playing eight of their first 12 Pac-12 games on the road. ASU's games earlier this month against Oregon (Jan. 11) and Oregon State (Jan. 13) were its only two home games in the month of January.
SERIES NOTES VS. USC (USC LEADS 52-17)
USC has won 52 of the 69 all-time meetings against ASU, including five of the last seven contests. USC's win over ASU in the quarterfinals of the 2009 Pac-10 Tournament snapped a seven-game winning streak by ASU in the series. USC swept the season series in 2010-11 (60-56 in Tempe and 62-52 in Los Angeles) before the Sun Devils bounced back to sweep the series in 2011-12 (62-61 in Los Angeles and 69-55 in Tempe). USC won both contests last season (60-48 in Tempe and 59-53 in Los Angeles). Deja Mann, who is redshirting this season with a knee injury, had a career-high 22 points in last season's contest in Los Angeles.
SERIES NOTES VS. UCLA (UCLA LEADS 47-25)
UCLA has won 47 of the 72 all-time meetings, including the last six in a row. UCLA's win in the first meeting of 2009-10 in Tempe broke a seven-game ASU winning streak. Last season the Bruins won 64-48 in Tempe and 53-38 in Los Angeles.
IN CASE YOU ARE JUST JOINING US...
This season the Sun Devils return a young team (nine of 12 players on the active roster are in their first or second year in the program), which returned only one player with more than 10 career starts.
Starting senior guard Deja Mann (the team's returning leading scorer from last season) is redshirting this season after suffering a knee injury in September.
ASU played six of first nine games away from home to start the regular season and is currently in the midst of playing eight of its first 12 Pac-12 games on the road.
Won seven of eight games, including five in a row, prior to the start of Pac-12 play.
Lost first two Pac-12 games at the Washington schools before rebounding the following week with home wins vs. Oregon and Oregon State.
Led by as many as 22 in eventual 74-58 win over Florida (No. 48 RPI).
Four losses have been by six points or less, including a 65-59 loss to Dayton (No. 12 RPI), a game which the Sun Devils led by as many as 14.
Led No. 21 Colorado by as many as five points in the second half.
Leading scorer Janae Fulcher (head injury) did not play the last 30+ minutes of ASU's 60-54 loss at UTEP.
Starting guard Micaela Pickens was injured and forced to miss time in ASU's losses at UTEP and at Washington State.
INDIVIDUAL PLAYER NOTES
All 10 of Janae Fulcher's double-figure scoring games have come in ASU's last 14 contests. Fulcher set new career highs in points (26) and field goals (13) in ASU's 74-58 win over Florida (Nov. 25) in the championship game of the South Point Thanksgiving Shootout in Las Vegas. Fulcher, who leads the team and is No. 4 in the Pac-12 in field goal percentage (.536), has shot 50 percent or better in all but five games this season. She recorded her second career double-double (15 points, 11 rebounds) at Washington (Jan. 4) and led ASU in scoring with 23 points at WSU (Jan. 6).
Micaela Pickens currently leads the team in 3-point FGs (18) and 3-point FG pct. (.353), is second in blocks (0.7 bpg) and is third in assists (2.2 apg) and steals (1.2 spg). Last month Pickens had a four-game stretch (@Providence, @BC, vs. USD, vs. Longwood) in which she averaged 12.5 points and shot 61 percent (19-31) from the field including 65 percent (11-17) from 3-point range. She had a career-high six assists at Washington (Jan. 4).
Currently ASU's leader in steals (1.8 spg) and free throw percentage (.821), Promise Amukamara shot 55 percent from the floor (16-29 FGs) during ASU's five-game winning streak last month. She posted career highs in points (15) and field goals (six) in ASU's win over Idaho State (Dec. 30).
Adrianne Thomas, ASU's leader in assists (3.1 apg), had a career-high eight assists vs. San Diego (Dec. 12). Earlier this season she scored a career-high 16 points at UTEP (Nov. 18). She shot 80 percent from the floor (8-10 FGs) and averaged 10.5 points in back-to-back games vs. Idaho State (Dec. 30) and at Washington (Jan. 4). She grabbed a career-high eight rebounds at Washington State (Jan. 6).
Joy Burke has four of ASU's five highest single-game rebounding efforts this season. She has grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds three times. She has scored a career-high 14 points twice this season, most recently at Washington State (Jan. 6).
Jada Blackwell scored in double figures in ASU's road wins at Providence (Dec. 7) and at Boston College (Dec. 9). She scored 12 of her 14 points in the second half at Providence and then added 10 points at Boston College. In ASU's 77-74 loss at Washington (Jan. 4), Blackwell scored a career-high 29 points while also tying her career highs in rebounds (8) and steals (3). Her 29 points were the most scored by a Sun Devil since Danielle Orsillo scored 29 points at Oregon on Feb. 23, 2010.
Arnecia Hawkins has scored seven or more points nine times this season. Currently second on the team in 3-point field goals (15), she dropped in a career-high 11 points vs. San Diego (Dec. 12).
Elisha Davis has had three or more assists nine times this season, including a career-high six assists at Washington (Jan. 4).
Haley Videckis, ASU's fourth leading rebounder (3.8 rpg), has had five or more rebounds six times this season. Videckis scored a career-high 11 points vs. Idaho State (Dec. 30). She would match that total in ASU's loss at No. 21 Colorado (Jan. 18).
TOUGH SCHEDULE
Throughout Charli Turner Thorne's tenure at Arizona State, the program has been known for having one of toughest schedules in the country on an annual basis and the 2012-13 season has been no different as the Sun Devils faced nine non-conference foes which qualified for postseason play in 2012.
"We have a preseason schedule that is geared toward making us road warriors and toughening us up to prepare for Pac-12 play," Turner Thorne said prior to the season. "We have a stretch in Pac-12 where we have four road games in a row. This schedule is by design. We are on the road a lot this preseason and I think it is only going to make us better and tougher. We need to go in there and be consistent with our effort and our focus."
ASU started the season playing six of its first nine games away from home. The Sun Devils are currently in the midst of a similar stretch to start Pac-12 play - eight of their first conference games are on the road.
CONFERENCE SUCCESS
The Sun Devil women's basketball program has consistently been among the Pac-12/Pac-10's best for the last several years both on the court and in the classroom...
Since the 2000-01 season ASU is one of only two schools in the Pac-12 to have won both a regular season conference title and the conference tournament title.
ASU's three appearances in the conference title game are tied for second most in the conference since tournament play started in 2002.
ASU has finished third or higher in the Pac-12 nine times since 2001.
Since 2005-06, ASU has led the Pac-12 in the number of conference first-team all-academic awards and the combined number of first- and second-team all-academic awards.
50 AND UNDER EQUALS SUCCESS
One of the cornerstones of ASU's formula for success over the years has been defense. The Sun Devils have held the opposition to 50 or fewer points 80 times since the 2004-05 season, including three times this season. ASU's record in those 80 games is 78-2.
Deja Mann TO REDSHIRT IN 2012-13
The Sun Devils were dealt a serious blow in September when Deja Mann, the team's most experienced player and leading scorer among returners from last year's team, was lost for the season with a knee injury.
A starter in 48 of 95 career games, Mann started all 32 games last season and led ASU in assists (3.4 apg), free throws made (56) and free throw percentage (.812). She finished third on the team in scoring and recorded double figures in points nine times in 2011-12 with seven of those instances coming in the last 15 games of the season. Her 22 points at USC (Feb. 15, 2012) were the most scored by a Sun Devil last season.
TURNER THORNE RETURNS FOR 16TH SEASON; APPROACHING SIGNIFICANT CAREER ACHIEVEMENT
Following a one-year sabbatical, Charli Turner Thorne returns for her 16th season as head coach of the Sun Devil women's basketball program. The all-time winningest coach in ASU women's basketball history and third in the Pac-12 in career wins (299), Turner Thorne will look to lead the Sun Devils to their 14th consecutive postseason appearance in 2012-13.
"I really used [the sabbatical] to grow myself as a person," Turner Thorne said. "I think after 23 straight years in college coaching you can lose yourself a little bit. I worked on becoming a better coach, and in many ways, becoming a better wife, and a better mom and a better me. It was absolutely amazing. I do have a new and even better perspective."
Since taking over in 1996-97, Turner Thorne has turned Sun Devil women's basketball into one of the nation's premiere programs. Included in ASU's current run of 13 consecutive postseason appearances is a school record five-consecutive NCAA Tournament bids from 2005-09. During that time the Sun Devils qualified for the Elite Eight on a pair of occasions, making ASU one of only 15 programs in the country to have qualified for the Elite Eight at least two times since 2007.
Turner Thorne needs one more win at ASU to become the third Pac-12 coach to reach 300 victories. A closer look at her path to 300 puts into perspective the incredible 180-degree turnaround Sun Devil women's basketball has undergone since she came to ASU. To reach 150 wins it took Turner Thorne 272 games (150-122 - .551) as she rebuilt a program that had an aggregate record of 20-60 in the three years prior to her arrival and only two NCAA Tournament wins in its history. Since picking up her 150th win, Turner Thorne is 149-65 (.700). Included in those 149 wins are eight of Turner Thorne's 11 NCAA Tournament victories.
LEVENS AND MOORE JOIN COACHING STAFF
During the offseason, Turner Thorne welcomed two new coaches to the Sun Devil staff -- Amanda Levens (associate head coach) and Jackie Moore (assistant coach).
A former Sun Devil standout, who earned honorable mention All-America honors in 2012, Levens joined Turner Thorne's staff from SIUE where she led the program during its transition to NCAA Division I status. Picked to finish eighth in its first season as a full-fledged member of the Ohio Valley Conference in 2012, SIUE came through with a third-place finish (12-4 league record) and Levens was recognized in being named the OVC Coach of the Year. Levens, who helped lead the Sun Devils to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances and the inaugural Pac-10 Tournament title in 2002, was inducted into the Arizona State University Sports Hall of Fame in September.
Moore, who has previously coached at UMass, Boston College, Miami (Fla.) and Nevada, will be bringing 18 years of collegiate coaching experience to the Sun Devil staff. Moore, who stepped away from the coaching ranks for a brief stint, was most recently at the University of Nevada, where she was an assistant coach for three seasons (2005-08). During her time at Nevada, where she served as recruiting coordinator, the Wolf Pack had unprecedented success as it made its first postseason appearance in school history in 2006-07.
SUN DEVIL WOMEN'S BASKETBALL IN NEW ZEALAND
During the month of August, the Sun Devil women's basketball team went on a seven-day trip to New Zealand where it played three games in addition to participating in team building and community outreach activities. For Turner Thorne, the experience was a positive one on all fronts.
"I could not be happier with what we got out of the trip," Turner Thorne said. "From a basketball standpoint, I think a lot of our players were able to better understand what we need to do to get into championship form. Even though we realized there was still a lot of work to do, it got us excited for the potential of our team this season.
"In terms of team building, the growth in trust and communication our team showed from day 1 until day 7 was as impressive as I have ever experienced with a team."
In addition to playing three basketball games and engaging in a variety of team building activities, the team also participated in multiple youth clinics throughout its time in New Zealand.
WINNING STREAKS
ASU's 60-53 win over Idaho State on Dec. 30 gave ASU a five-game winning streak, matching its longest of the 2011-12 season. It marked the 19th time since 2001 that ASU had a winning streak of five or more games. The Sun Devils have twice broken the school record under Charli Turner Thorne, eclipsing the previous record of nine when they won 10 straight in 2006 and then again in 2009 when ASU ran off 15 wins in a row.