WHAT: No. 24/24 Arizona State (5-3) at Hartford (4-5)
WHEN: Monday, December 14, 2015 at 6 p.m. ET/4 p.m. MT
WHERE: Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion, Hartford, Conn.
LIVE STREAM: America East Conference
RADIO: Internet only on the Sun Devil Athletics Tune-In Channel
UP NEXT
The Arizona State women’s basketball team (5-3) closes out its road trip to the East Coast on Monday night when it travels to Hartford, Conn., to take on Hartford (4-5). The Sun Devils started their trip with a 61-54 win over No. 19/24 Syracuse on Saturday.
The Sun Devils are currently in the middle of a stretch in which they are playing four games in 10 days. ASU will return to Wells Fargo Arena later this week to host Marquette (Dec. 19) and No. 11/9 Florida State (Dec. 21) in their last two games before the holiday break.
A win on Monday would be the 400th win of ASU head coach Charli Turner Thorne’s coaching career.
NOTES FROM LAST GAME
• Kelsey Moos scored 13 points and Arnecia Hawkins added 12 to help the ASU knock off No. 19 Syracuse 61-54 on Saturday.
• With the win the Sun Devils 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 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.
• 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 44 rebounds tied ASU’s highest total of the season (also had 44 vs. VCU on Dec. 5).
• ASU tied its season high with 17 assists.
• The Sun Devils held Syracuse 16 points below its scoring average (70.0 ppg) coming into the game.
SERIES HISTORY
Hartford: Monday’s game will be the first meeting between the two schools.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
• ASU returns nine players, including four starters – senior guards Katie Hempen and Elisha Davis and junior posts Sophie Brunner and Kelsey Moos – from last year’s team that finished with 29 wins (second most in team history) and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Brunner (Pan American Games – silver medal) and Hempen (World University Games – gold medal) both earned medals in July while competing for USA Basketball. Also earning a medal was junior center Quinn Dornstauder (Canada), who brought back a silver medal from the World University Games.
• ASU head coach Charli Turner Thorne, who is in her 19th season at ASU, needs one more win to reach 400 for her career. Turner Thorne has 359 wins at ASU and 40 at Northern Arizona where she started her head coaching career.
• ASU has played its last five games without starting forward Sophie Brunner (team leader in rebounds and second in scoring). Brunner was injured in the second half of ASU’s 60-58 loss vs. No. 2 South Carolina in Hawaii (Nov. 27). Brunner started every game last season and concluded the campaign as the team leader in rebounding (7.6 rpg - 8th in Pac-12), steals (1.8 spg - 9th in Pac-12), FG pct. (54.3 - 4th in Pac-12) and FTs made (87) & attempted (119), 2nd in scoring (11.9 ppg), 4th in FT pct. (73.1) and 5th in assists (1.2 apg).
• Also injured in the loss to South Carolina was starting junior forward Kelsey Moos, who missed four games. Moos returned in ASU’s contest at No. 19 Syracuse on Dec. 12 and led the team with 13 points and seven rebounds.
• Two of ASU’s three losses – vs. current No. 8 Kentucky (68-64 in OT on Nov. 15) and vs. current No. 2 South Carolina (60-58 on Nov. 27 in Hawaii) – have come by a combined six points to two of the nation’s top eight teams.
• ASU is 13-1 in its last 14 road games going back to last season.
• The Sun Devils have won 31 of their 36 home games going back to the 2013-14 season. Last season ASU was 16-2 at home and allowed an average of only 55.1 in those games while outscoring the opposition by an average of 12.2 ppg.
• ASU is 27-5 in non-conference games the last three seasons.
• ASU has allowed 14 or fewer points in a quarter 18 times this season.
• ASU has held the opposition to only 51.2 ppg in its last five games.
• After averaging 19.7 turnovers in its first three games, ASU has improved that figure to 13.2 in its last five games. Last season the Sun Devils set the school record for fewest turnover per game (14.3). Moos played in 31 games (30 starts) in 2014-15 and was 2nd on the team in field goal percentage (52.9) and rebounds per game (5.4 rpg), 4th in 3-pointers (12) and tied for 4th in steals (0.8 spg).
• Currently in third place on ASU’s all-time list for career 3-pointers (136), senior guard Katie Hempen (started 50 of 76 games at ASU/42 straight starts) needs two triples to pass Jill Noe (137/2003-08) for second place. The all-time leader in 3-pointers at ASU is Kylan Loney (2001-05), who had 161.
• ASU’s leading scorer off the bench each of the last two seasons, junior center Quinn Dornstauder is currently leading the team in scoring (12.5 ppg). Dornstauder’s 21 points at SMU (Nov. 21) are the most scored by a Sun Devil this season.
• Senior guard Elisha Davis (started 47 of 107 career games/47 straight starts) has 35 assists and only 12 turnovers in ASU’s last six games.
• Senior forward Eliza Normen, who redshirted due to injury as a freshman in 2011-12, returns for her fifth year. A veteran of 110 games, Normen started four games with injuries to starters Sophie Brunner and Kelsey Moos. Senior guard Arnecia Hawkins, who has also been inserted into the starting lineup, has averaged 9.6 points and 4.8 rebounds in ASU’s last five games. Hawkins scored 12 points and grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds vs. VCU (Dec. 5).
• Freshman Sabrina Haines averaged 9.0 ppg shot 55 percent from the floor during a recent four-game stretch.
PRESEASON NOTES
• ASU started the season ranked 15th in both the AP media poll and the USA Today Coaches’ poll.
• ASU was picked to finish third in the Pac-12 by the league’s coaches (1. Oregon State 2. Stanford 3. ASU) and second by the media who cover the league (1. Oregon State 2. ASU). Junior forward Sophie Brunner was selected to the media’s preseason All-Pac-12 team.
CHALLENGING NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE AWAITS 2015-16 SUN DEVILS
The Arizona State University women’s basketball team picked up right where it left off last March – competing against the nation’s best teams. Five schools that qualified for last year’s NCAA Tournament are included on the Sun Devils’ 2015-16 non-conference schedule.
“Our program has set a standard over the years of playing a challenging non-conference schedule that not only gets us prepared for Pac-12 play, but also gives our fans the opportunity to see the kind of top-level, non-conference matchups that often occur in the month of March,” said Turner Thorne, who will be entering her 19th season. “In one year we have gone from a being young team to a veteran squad that features great experience and a lot of core returners and so I think this will be the perfect schedule for them.”
The Sun Devils have gone a combined 26-5 in regular season, non-conference games since the start of the 2013-14 season.
Here are highlights and notes about Sun Devils’ non-conference slate…
• ASU opened its 2015-16 season against Kentucky and dropped a 68-64 decision in overtime. The Wildcats, who are currently No. 8 in the nation, entered this season having qualified for each of the last six NCAA Tournaments, including a trio of Elite Eight appearances. The game was the first ever meeting between the two teams.
• The Sun Devils spent Thanksgiving weekend in Hawaii where they played three games. ASU opened the tournament against 2015 Final Four participant and current No. 2 South Carolina, who went 34-3 last season. The Sun Devils came one win short of meeting South Carolina last season. A victory over Florida State in the Sweet 16 would have propelled ASU into an Elite Eight matchup against the Gamecocks in the Greensboro Regional final. Last month Sun Devils came within a possession of upsetting the Gamecocks, falling 60-58 (Nov. 27) as South Carolina hit two free throws with six-tenths of second remaining to claim the win. The Sun Devils played the last 11-plus minutes of their contest vs. South Carolina without starting forward Kelsey Moos and the last 4:27 without starting forward Sophie Brunner. Both players were injured in the second half.
• Speaking of Florida State, the Sun Devils and Seminoles will have a rematch of last season’s Sweet 16 game when they meet in Tempe on Mon., Dec. 21. The contest between the two teams last March, won by Florida State 66-65, provided fans with one of the NCAA Tournament’s most exciting games as the Sun Devils nearly overcame a six-point deficit in the final two minutes. The Seminoles would finish the season 32-5 after coming up short against South Carolina in the ensuing Elite Eight contest. ASU’s contest against Florida State will be preceded by a home game vs. Marquette on Sat., Dec. 19.
• The Sun Devils are currently on a two-game East Coast road swing that started with a on Dec. 12 with a 61-54 win at No. 19 Syracuse. It’s the second time in three seasons that the Sun Devils and Orange battled on the hardwood. In 2013 the Sun Devils came away with a 63-60 win at home in a game that was not decided until the final seconds. Syracuse made its third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance last season where it advanced to the second round and finished with a record of 22-10. The Sun Devils will conclude the road trip on Dec. 14 at Hartford.
• ASU will close out the non-conference portion of its schedule when it hosts CSUN on Mon., Dec. 28. The Matadors finished 23-10 last season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year.
• ASU was on the road for four of its five games in November, however will be home for five of its seven games in December, including its last three before Pac-12 play begins.
2014-15 RECAP
• ASU made its 13th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament (its 10th under head coach Charli Turner Thorne) and earned a No. 3 seed in the Greensboro Regional (tied highest NCAA seed in school history)... ASU got off to its best start (18-1) and conference start (7-0) in school history. In addition, ASU reached 20 wins faster than any team in program history (22 games)... ASU’s 14-game winning streak (started on Nov. 30 and ended on Jan. 25) was its second longest in school history. Only the 2008-09 team won more games in succession (15)… Tied the 2006-07 squad for the best road record in school history (10-1)… ASU’s two wins over Stanford during the regular season represented the first time a conference school swept Stanford during the regular season since 1988... Finished among the nation’s Top 30 teams in 3-Point Field Goal Percentage Defense (4th/25.4), Scoring Defense (21st/55.9 ppg), 3-Point Field Goal Percentage (22nd/36.1), Field Goal Percentage (27th/44.0) and Scoring Margin (27th/+11.0... Set the school record for fewest turnovers per game (14.3). Eclipsed the previous record (16.4 by the 2011-12 team) by more than two turnovers per game... Gave up nearly 10 fewer points per game (9.8) in 2014-15 (55.9) compared to the 2013-14 team (65.7).
CHARLI TURNER THORNE HAS SUN DEVIL WBB AMONG NATION’S ELITE
Arizona State head women’s basketball coach Charli Turner Thorne was named one of 10 semifinalists for the Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year in 2015 for a season in which she led the Sun Devils to their best start in school history (18-1), their best conference start in school history (7-0), a second-place finish in the Pac-12 and 29 wins, the second-highest number of wins in school history.
The all-time winningest coach in program history and No. 2 in the Pac-12 in career wins (358), Turner Thorne has turned Sun Devil women’s basketball into one of the nation’s premiere programs since taking over in 1996-97. Included in ASU’s earlier run of 13 consecutive postseason appearances (2000-12) were 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 between 2007-12.
In 2013-14, Turner Thorne helped the Sun Devils post one of the best turnarounds in the country as they went from a 13-18 record and a ninth-place Pac-12 finish (5-13) the previous season to a 23-10 record and fourth-place Pac-12 finish (11-7). Included among ASU’s 23 wins in 2013-14 were three triumphs over Top 25 teams.
On Jan. 25, 2013, Turner Thorne became the third Pac-12 coach to reach 300 victories following ASU’s 60-53 win over USC, a game in which ASU came back from 16 down in the second half.
A closer look at Turner Thorne’s 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. It would take her 215 games to get 150 more wins. Since picking up her 150th win at ASU, Turner Thorne is 208-94 (.689).
Last season, Turner Thorne led the Sun Devils to the NCAA Tournament for the 10th time in her ASU tenure.
SUN DEVIL WBB EARNS NO. 7 RANKING IN WBCA ACADEMIC TOP 25
The Arizona State University women’s basketball team was among the top 10 women’s basketball programs in the classroom in 2014-15. The Sun Devil women’s basketball team’s combined team GPA of 3.558 was No. 7 among NCAA Division I institutions, according to the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s (WBCA) 2015 Academic Team Honor Rolls, announced this past July. ASU was one of only seven schools among the WBCA’s Top 25 that also participated in the 2015 NCAA Tournament. On the court, the Sun Devils recorded the best finish of schools appearing in the WBCA’s Top 25 after advancing to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Since the 1996-97 season (Charli Turner Thorne’s first season at ASU) ASU leads the Pac-12 in the number of first-team All-Academic conference awards (17) and the combined number of first- and second-team All-Academic conference awards (37).
SUN DEVIL WBB SIGNS TOP 10 CLASS FOR NEXT SEASON
On Nov. 11 Arizona State University head women’s basketball coach Charli Turner Thorne announced the signing of five student-athletes – Sydney Goodson, Reili Richardson, Jamie Ruden, Kiara Russell and Robbi Ryan – whose outstanding ability, talent and potential for immediate impact have the signing class ranked among the top 10 in the country by espnW HoopGurlz.
Goodson, a 5-8 guard, will be joining the Sun Devils from Liberty Christian School in Argyle, Texas, where she has already led her team to a pair of TAPPS Class 5A state title game appearances. After a runner-up finish in 2013, the Lady Warriors came away with the title in 2015 as Goodson averaged 12.5 points, 3.4 assists and 2.5 steals on her way to earning First-Team All-State honors and being named the District’s Offensive Player of the Year.
Richardson will be coming to ASU from Brea Olinda High School in Brea, California. The 5-9 guard averaged 17.4 points as a junior while earning numerous awards, including MaxPreps 2014-15 California All-State Division 3 Second-Team recognition, Southern Section All-Open Division Team and Orange County Register All-County First-Team honors.
A 6-1 post, who has incredible versatility, Ruden has averaged 20 or more points each of the last three seasons for John Marshall High School (Rochester, Minnesota). Ruden is coming off a junior campaign in which she earned AP First-Team All-State and Minnesota Girls Basketball Coaches Association Class 4A All-State recognition after averaging 23 points, eight rebounds and two assists per game in leading John Marshall to a 27-2 record and a state runner-up finish.
Also coming to ASU from the North Star State is Russell, a 5-8 guard out of Osseo High School in Osseo, Minnesota. Like Ruden, Russell also earned 2015 Minnesota Girls Basketball Coaches Association Class 4A All-State honors after a spectacular junior campaign in which she averaged 23.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 3.8 steals.
A 5-9 guard, Ryan enters the 2015-16 season as the reigning Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Wyoming, where she has enjoyed a prolific career at Sheridan High School (Sheridan, Wyoming). Named to the All-State team in each of her first three seasons, Ryan has twice been invited to the U17 Olympic trials for women’s basketball and has also competed in the Chicago Nike National Invitation Tournament.