TEMPE, Ariz. – Sophie Brunner recorded her fourth double-double of the season (20 points and a career-high 15 rebounds) to help push the No. 19 Arizona State women's basketball team past Washington State, 68-49 on Friday.
Reili Richardson scored a career-high 15 points while Quinn Dornstauder added 11 points to help the Sun Devils (13-3, 4-1 Pac-12) post their fourth straight win and their 11th in 12 games. Also coming through with a solid outing in the win was Robbi Ryan, who scored seven of her nine points in the second half.
The Sun Devils (13-3, 4-1 Pac-12), who shot 41 percent from the field, were especially efficient from long range where five different players combined to shoot 63 percent (5-8).
Defensively, ASU held the Cougars (8-9, 3-3 Pac-12) 24 points below their scoring average while allowing them to make only 32 percent of their shots. The Sun Devils also continued to dominate on the boards by outrebounding Washington State 47-35.
"We knew Washington State was battle-tested and we knew they were a really tough team. They just won three in a row against Oregon, UCLA and USC," ASU head coach Charli Turner Thorne said. "It was a great second half. We came out and worked harder. I thought we were a little soft in the first half. How about Sophie Brunner? That was just an All-American performance. She just led us so amazingly with her effort. Quinn has been sick all week and she had a 103-degree temperature the other day so it's just that time of year where I don't think anyone is fully healthy and you just have to find a way to win. I thought it was a great team win."
After the Cougars got within five points with eight minutes remaining, the Sun Devils used a 17-1 run over the ensuing six minutes to pull away. They would go on to outscore the Cougars 19-7 in the final frame, the 16th time this season ASU had held the opposition to 10 or fewer points in a quarter.
Coming into Friday's game Washington State had won three in a row – including an upset of then-No. 9 UCLA – despite missing two of its top offensive performers. The Cougars would be dealt another blow late in the first quarter when reserve Cameron Fernandez sustained an injury that resulted in a 30-minute delay as medical personnel tended to the freshman guard.
"I think we were all a little sick when Cameron went down," Turner Thorne said. "Kudos to both teams in being able to regroup and continue to play. I went over to talk to (WSU associate head coach) Mike (Daugherty) and (WSU head coach) June (Daugherty). I've known them forever because I played for June at Stanford. It puts things in perspective when a player gets that injured."
Prior to the stoppage in play, the game had been a see-saw battle that featured five ties and eight lead changes. Brunner (nine points) and Richardson (seven points) combined for 16 of ASU's points in the quarter that ended in a 17-17 tie.
Despite holding Washington State without a field goal for a stretch of more than five minutes in the second quarter, the Sun Devils would only outscore the Cougars 14-13 giving them a slight 31-30 edge at the break.
The Sun Devils started the second half with a 7-2 run that was capped by a 3-pointer by Ryan that gave ASU a 38-32 lead. The Cougars would manage to stay within striking distance before a scoring burst of five straight points later in the quarter put ASU up 49-38 after a 3-pointer by Sabrina Haines with 1:04 remaining.
Washington State was led by Chanelle Molina, who had 13 points while Nike McClure nearly had a double-double with eight points and nine rebounds.
Friday's game had a special 11 a.m. start time as part of the annual Sparky's Kids to College Field Trip Game, where elementary students from a range of Valley schools came out to support ASU women's basketball. Now in its 11th season, `Sparky's Kids to College Field Trip Day,' is an initiative designed to introduce fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders to a college campus.
The Sun Devils close out the weekend on Sunday (6 p.m. MT) against eight-ranked Washington in a game that will be televised to a national audience by Pac-12 Networks. Sunday's game vs. the Huskies will be the Sun Devil women's basketball program's first official "Green Game," as the team will be showcasing its commitment to sustainable practices. Fans can use the code greengameasu for discounted admission to the top-25 match-up.
Reili Richardson scored a career-high 15 points while Quinn Dornstauder added 11 points to help the Sun Devils (13-3, 4-1 Pac-12) post their fourth straight win and their 11th in 12 games. Also coming through with a solid outing in the win was Robbi Ryan, who scored seven of her nine points in the second half.
The Sun Devils (13-3, 4-1 Pac-12), who shot 41 percent from the field, were especially efficient from long range where five different players combined to shoot 63 percent (5-8).
Defensively, ASU held the Cougars (8-9, 3-3 Pac-12) 24 points below their scoring average while allowing them to make only 32 percent of their shots. The Sun Devils also continued to dominate on the boards by outrebounding Washington State 47-35.
"We knew Washington State was battle-tested and we knew they were a really tough team. They just won three in a row against Oregon, UCLA and USC," ASU head coach Charli Turner Thorne said. "It was a great second half. We came out and worked harder. I thought we were a little soft in the first half. How about Sophie Brunner? That was just an All-American performance. She just led us so amazingly with her effort. Quinn has been sick all week and she had a 103-degree temperature the other day so it's just that time of year where I don't think anyone is fully healthy and you just have to find a way to win. I thought it was a great team win."
After the Cougars got within five points with eight minutes remaining, the Sun Devils used a 17-1 run over the ensuing six minutes to pull away. They would go on to outscore the Cougars 19-7 in the final frame, the 16th time this season ASU had held the opposition to 10 or fewer points in a quarter.
Coming into Friday's game Washington State had won three in a row – including an upset of then-No. 9 UCLA – despite missing two of its top offensive performers. The Cougars would be dealt another blow late in the first quarter when reserve Cameron Fernandez sustained an injury that resulted in a 30-minute delay as medical personnel tended to the freshman guard.
"I think we were all a little sick when Cameron went down," Turner Thorne said. "Kudos to both teams in being able to regroup and continue to play. I went over to talk to (WSU associate head coach) Mike (Daugherty) and (WSU head coach) June (Daugherty). I've known them forever because I played for June at Stanford. It puts things in perspective when a player gets that injured."
Prior to the stoppage in play, the game had been a see-saw battle that featured five ties and eight lead changes. Brunner (nine points) and Richardson (seven points) combined for 16 of ASU's points in the quarter that ended in a 17-17 tie.
Despite holding Washington State without a field goal for a stretch of more than five minutes in the second quarter, the Sun Devils would only outscore the Cougars 14-13 giving them a slight 31-30 edge at the break.
The Sun Devils started the second half with a 7-2 run that was capped by a 3-pointer by Ryan that gave ASU a 38-32 lead. The Cougars would manage to stay within striking distance before a scoring burst of five straight points later in the quarter put ASU up 49-38 after a 3-pointer by Sabrina Haines with 1:04 remaining.
Washington State was led by Chanelle Molina, who had 13 points while Nike McClure nearly had a double-double with eight points and nine rebounds.
Friday's game had a special 11 a.m. start time as part of the annual Sparky's Kids to College Field Trip Game, where elementary students from a range of Valley schools came out to support ASU women's basketball. Now in its 11th season, `Sparky's Kids to College Field Trip Day,' is an initiative designed to introduce fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders to a college campus.
The Sun Devils close out the weekend on Sunday (6 p.m. MT) against eight-ranked Washington in a game that will be televised to a national audience by Pac-12 Networks. Sunday's game vs. the Huskies will be the Sun Devil women's basketball program's first official "Green Game," as the team will be showcasing its commitment to sustainable practices. Fans can use the code greengameasu for discounted admission to the top-25 match-up.