TEMPE, Ariz. – ASU Classic Tournament MVP Sophie Brunner finished with a career-high 24 points and 13 rebounds to help lead the Arizona State University women’s basketball team to an 88-75 win over Northwestern in the tournament championship game.
Katie Hempen (12 points, career-high-tying seven rebounds) and Elisha Davis (career-best 16 points on Sunday and 15 assists in the two games), who joined Brunner on the All-Tournament Team, also had big contributions in Sunday’s win.
Northwestern was led by Nia Coffey, who finished with 22 points and five rebounds and was named to the All-Tournament Team, and Maggie Lyon, who added 18 points.
“I think our defense separates us in a lot of games,” head coach Charli Turner Thorne said. “I thought that was the difference in the game today.”
The Sun Devils were once again aided by a balanced scoring attack, as six players finished with at least nine points. ASU (10-1) also outrebounded Northwestern 45-28 as they handed the Wildcats (10-1) their first loss of the season. It was the second time in as many days the Sun Devils defeated an unbeaten team after knocking off Lehigh (came into game 7-0) on Saturday.
Also coming through with big contributions were Promise Amukamara, who scored 15 points and had five steals, Quinn Dornstauder, who nearly posted a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds, and Arnecia Hawkins, who added nine points.
Northwestern missed four of its first five shots as ASU jumped out to a 10-2 lead with 15:29 remaining in the first half.
The Wildcats were able to close the gap to four on a layup by Coffey with 10:22 left in the opening half, but the Sun Devils countered with a 13-4 run to take a 29-14 lead with 6:48 remaining in the half.
ASU took a 39-25 lead into the locker room thanks to some stout defense and great long-range shooting. The Sun Devils held Northwestern to 10-30 (33 percent) shooting in the first half and hit four of their nine shots from long range. Meanwhile, Northwestern struggled from deep, hitting only one of their six 3-point attempts during the first 20 minutes.
The Sun Devils were able to stretch their lead to 19 following a layup by Quinn Dornstauder, but Northwestern answered with a 10-0 run to make the score 46-37 with 16:20 remaining.
Two free throws by Coffey made the score 62-56 with 6:40 left to play, but a Brunner three-point play on ASU’s next possession sparked a 14-4 run that secured the victory for the Sun Devils.
The Sun Devils close out the non-conference portion of their schedule next Sunday (2:30 p.m. MT) when they host Yale at Wells Fargo Arena.