PULLMAN, Wash. – A dominating second-half performance and a career-high 19 points scored by Sabrina Haines propelled the No. 14 Arizona State women’s basketball team to a 63-45 win at Washington State on Sunday.
The Sun Devils (13-3, 4-0 Pac-12) outscored the Cougars 39-21 in the second half to break open what was a tie game at the half.
After shooting 30 percent and missing both of their 3-pointers in the first half, the Sun Devils connected on 50 percent of their shots in the second half, including 71 percent (5-7) from long range.
Haines, who also grabbed a career-high six rebounds, scored 14 points in the second half as the freshman guard was 5-7 from the floor in the final 20 minutes.
Washington native Kelsey Moos (eight points, 10 rebounds) and Sophie Brunner (eight points, seven rebounds) were both close to double-doubles as the pair combined for 16 points and 17 rebounds.
The Cougars (10-5, 1-3 Pac-12) were led by Borislava Bianaru, who scored 10 points.
Following an exchange of 3-pointers to start the third quarter, the Sun Devils reeled off nine straight points to take a 36-27 lead. The Cougars got within seven points but would not get any closer as the Sun Devils closed the quarter with a 13-4 run to take a commanding 49-33 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Haines (eight points) and Katie Hempen (six points) combined for 14 of ASU’s 25 points in the third period. Also knocking down shots for ASU were Brunner, Elisha Davis, Arnecia Hawkins, Kianna Ibis and Eliza Normen.
The Sun Devils would lead by as many as 21 in the fourth quarter. Brunner (six points), Haines (six points) and Ibis (two points) combined to score ASU’s 14 points in the final frame.
With the win the Sun Devils won their 10th straight game, the third consecutive season they have had a winning streak of 10 or more games. Two years ago the squad’s 10-game winning streak came to an end in the Pac-12 opener at Washington State. Last season the Sun Devils won 14 straight, one short of tying the school record of 15 set by the 2008-09 team.
The first half of Sunday’s game was punctuated by five ties and 10 lead changes as neither team led by more than three points during the first 20 minutes of play.
ASU’s only points in the first five-plus minutes came from the foul line where Haines made all four of her attempts. Moos made the Devils’ first field goal of the game to give ASU its first lead, 6-5 with 4:22 remaining in the first quarter. ASU would extend its lead to three later in the quarter after back-to-back baskets by Quinn Dornstauder and Moos, but the Cougars would score the next four points, including a shot at the first-quarter buzzer to go up 11-10.
The back-and-forth trend would continue in the second quarter.
Helping offset ASU’s 30-percent shooting effort in the first half was a 10-of-12 performance from the free throw line. ASU made 80 percent of its free throws for the game.
The Sun Devils return to action on Friday (11 a.m. MT) when they host Colorado in the program’s annual Sparky’s Kids to College Field Trip Game. The game will be streamed at http://pac-12.com/live/arizona-state-university and can be heard on the Sun Devil Athletics Tune In channel.