SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Kelsey Moos scored 13 points and Arnecia Hawkins added 12 to help the No. 24 Arizona State women’s basketball team knock off No. 19 Syracuse 61-54 on Saturday.
With the win the Sun Devils (5-3) captured their fourth win in five games and also ended Syracuse’s 72-game non-conference home court winning streak. It was also the 399th career win for ASU head coach Charli Turner Thorne (359 at Arizona State/19 seasons and 40 at Northern Arizona/three seasons).
Syracuse (6-3) represented the third Top 25 opponent the Sun Devils have faced this season. ASU opened the season with a 68-64 overtime loss to current No. 8 Kentucky and came within a possession of defeating current No. 2 South Carolina before falling to the Gamecocks 60-58 in Hawaii.
Moos, a junior forward, and fellow starting forward Sophie Brunner were both injured in the second half of ASU’s loss to South Carolina. Saturday’s game was the first with Moos back in the lineup for the Sun Devils, who have won 13 of 14 road games going back to least season.
Hawkins (4-5 FGs/2-3 3FGs, career-high five assists) and Katie Hempen (nine points, 2-3 3FGs) combined to shoot 67 percent from long range (4-6). Also coming through with big contributions for ASU was senior guard Elisha Davis, who had nine points, six assists and a career-high 10 rebounds.
ASU came through with a dominant performance on the boards where they were plus-21 for the game (44-23) while doubling up Syracuse on the offensive glass (18-9). Davis (10), Moos (7) and junior center Quinn Dornstauder (6), combined for 23 rebounds.
The Sun Devils started the second half with a three-point lead and attempted to pull away in the third quarter after a 5-0 run – a 3-pointer by Hempen and two free throws from Davis – gave ASU a nine-point lead, 41-32.
The Orange would not let the game get away as a jumper by Brianna Butler (13 points) cut ASU’s lead to four, 42-38, in the opening minute of the fourth quarter.
Another 5-0 run later in the quarter – a 3-pointer by Davis and a layup by Eliza Normen – helped the Devils push their lead back up to nine, 49-40 with just over six minutes left.
ASU’s effort on the defensive end would help them seal the win as the Sun Devils held Syracuse in check during the game’s most crucial stretch. After scoring four points the first 1:27 of the fourth quarter, the Orange would generate only four points over the next seven-plus minutes. Syracuse did not tally double digits in scoring for the quarter until Butler’s 3-pointer cut ASU’s lead to 55-47 with 70 seconds left.
The Sun Devils conclude their east coast road trip on Monday (6 p.m. ET/4 p.m. MT) when they play at Hartford.