CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Katie Hempen scored 14 of her 17 points in the second half to lead the Sun Devil women’s basketball team to a 65-61 win at Miami on Tuesday.
Promise Amukamara (13 points), Elisha Davis (11 points) and Kelsey Moos (10 points), also scored in double figures for the Sun Devils (3-0), who shot 54 percent in the second half, including 56 percent from behind the arc (5-9).
Adrienne Motley led the Hurricanes (2-2), who shot 46 percent from the field and had a 35-31 edge in rebounding.
Down 50-42 with 7:50 left, the Sun Devils used a 13-5 run to tie the game at 55-55 after Moos hit her second 3-pointer of the game with 4:10 remaining. It would eventually become an 18-5 run after Hempen scored the next five points to give ASU a 60-55 advantage with 2:39 left.
Miami had possession of the ball down 60-59 with 43 seconds remaining and again down 61-59 with 17 seconds remaining, but both times the Sun Devils turned them back. Amukamara and Hempen hit two free throws each in the final six seconds to seal the win.
Both halves of Tuesday’s game followed similar scripts: The two teams would exchange scoring runs in an attempt to take control of the contest only to end up in a near dead heat as the end approached.
After scoring the first five points of the contest, the Sun Devils would not score a field goal over the next 6:24. Amukamara’s 3-pointer ended ASU’s cold spell to cut Miami’s lead to 15-9 with just under 11 minutes left in the first half. The triple that Amukamara connected on was the start of a 15-2 ASU run that allowed the Sun Devils to reclaim the lead, 20-17 with 5:37 left.
Neither team would lead by three points the rest of the half as the Hurricanes eventually took a 24-23 lead into the locker room.
Hempen (seven points) and Sophie Brunner (four points) would account for 11 of ASU’s first 13 points of the second half as the Sun Devils built a 36-30 advantage after Brunner hit the second of consecutive baskets with 14:04 remaining.
However the Hurricanes would not let the Sun Devils pull away as they countered with an 18-4 scoring spree to take a 48-40 lead.
Making ASU’s comeback even more remarkable is the fact that both Amukamara (6:41) and Hempen (6:18) were able to be effective despite each player picking up her fourth foul with more than six minutes remaining.
With Tuesday’s win, the Sun Devils have now won 14 of their last 15 regular season, non-conference games going back to last season
The Sun Devils will remain in the state of Florida for the remainder of the week, as they will next compete in the Gulf Coast Showcase. ASU opens play in the tournament on Friday (2:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m.) MT when it takes on Villanova. The game can be heard live on KAZG 1440 AM.