TEMPE, Ariz. – Behind a balanced scoring attack and a series of large scoring runs, the Arizona State University women’s basketball team (6-1) was able to defeat the visiting SMU Mustangs (4-4) 77-42 Saturday afternoon at Wells Fargo Arena.
Four Sun Devils finished in double figures, led by Katie Hempen, who finished with 15. Peace Amukamara had 11 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while Elisha Davis and Kelsey Moos each had 11 points.
SMU was led by Kiara Perry, who finished with 16 points, and Alicia Froling, who had 11 points and four rebounds.
“We are not where we want to be but I definitely think we got better executing offensively,” said ASU head coach Charli Turner Thorne. “I thought we got our transition game going and got out and ran well. I thought we needed to get better as a team at rebounding and I think we did that. I think that was a highlight from our victory.
The Sun Devils limited SMU to a 31-percent shooting effort for the day (0-7 from long range) while also forcing 21 turnovers.
"We accomplished all our defensive goals in terms of forcing turnovers and field goal percentage defense. I think the key was how hard we worked,” said Turner Thorne. “They are a good offensive team and in the second half when we really separated ourselves, (SMU) looked tired. They took bad and hard shots. I credit our defense for that.”
ASU started the game on an 11-0 run capped off by a layup by Moos with 17:19 remaining in the first half. The Sun Devils made eight of their first 12 shots to start the game, but made only five of their next 15 to finish 13-27 (48 percent) in the half.
The Sun Devils fought off a first half comeback by SMU, when a jumper by Perry brought the Mustangs to within five, 31-26, with 2:02 remaining in the half. Davis countered with a three on ASU’s next possession, snapping a 7-2 SMU run and giving the Sun Devils their first points in over four minutes of play.
The three by Davis sparked a 9-0 Arizona State run that gave the Sun Devils a 40-26 halftime lead. Davis led the Sun Devils with nine points at the break, while Perry led the Mustangs with 12 first half points.
The start of the second half saw another offensive outburst from ASU, as Hempen scored eight straight points in the first 1:31 as part of a 21-1 run that gave the Sun Devils a 61-27 lead with 12:25 left to play.
The Mustangs would get no closer than 29 the rest of the way as the Devils led by as many as 36 in the second half.
Saturday was a special day for Sun Devil women’s basketball as the program honored Hall of Famer and All-American Kym Hampton. Hampton’s No. 32 jersey was hung from the rafters of Wells Fargo Arena during a halftime ceremony. One of the most decorated players to ever wear a Sun Devil jersey, Hampton (1981-84) is ASU’s all-time career leader (men’s or women’s basketball) in scoring (2,361 points) and rebounds (1,415).
The Sun Devils return to action next Saturday (Dec. 13) when they host UC Davis at 2:30 p.m. MT.