TEMPE, Ariz. – The No. 23 Arizona State women's basketball team's comeback attempt and upset bid came up short on Friday night as No. 11 Oregon State did enough to come away with a 54-45 win.
Quinn Dornstauder led ASU with 17 points to go with six rebounds while Sophie Brunner nearly recorded her 21st career double-double with nine points and 14 rebounds (one rebound short of tying her career high). Kianna Ibis added seven points for the Sun Devils (14-8, 5-6 Pac-12), who were not able to overcome a 34-percent shooting effort.
"That was a great effort by our team," ASU head coach Charli Turner Thorne said. "Any time you hold Oregon State to 54 points, you expect to win. I thought we battled really well. We needed to hit some perimeter shots. (The result) is disappointing, but coming out of last weekend, I really loved the way we competed today. That's a really good team and every time we didn't do something, they made us pay. We didn't have too many mistakes, we just needed to shoot a little better. We also gave up a few key offensive rebounds down the stretch. We're just learning and growing."
Oregon State's Marie Gulich led all players with 18 points to go with 10 boards, while Sydney Wiese added 16 points and six assists for the visiting Beavers (21-2, 10-1) who remained tied with eighth-ranked Stanford atop the Pac-12 standings.
The Beavers matched their biggest lead of the game after Wiese knocked down a 3-pointer to put her team up 48-36 with 8:04 remaining. After an exchange of baskets the Sun Devils were able to string together a 7-0 run. A layup by Ibis, a 3-point play by Dornstauder and a layup by Reili Richardson and suddenly the surging Sun Devils were within five at the four-minute mark. After an Oregon State timeout, the Sun Devils forced the Beavers into a crucial shot clock violation with 3:22 left, but ASU could not pull any closer as Richardson's 3-point attempt went in and out. The Beavers would go on to score the last four points of the game to seal the win.
"You have to credit Oregon State, they're a Final Four team," Turner Thorne said. "I will say that I thought we gave a great effort. I liked the effort and I liked how hard we played. I thought we were pretty connected and that we played together. We just have to execute better."
The game featuring the top two scoring defenses in the Pac-12 started out as anticipated with both teams battling back and forth throughout the first quarter. Brunner sparked the Sun Devil offense by connecting on two of her first three shots to start. She would go on to lead all players with seven points in the quarter. It appeared neither team would enter the second frame with an advantage on the scoreboard, but a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Kat Tudor gave OSU a 14-11 lead.
The Beavers would extend their lead to six a little more than four minutes into the second quarter, but the Sun Devils would respond by scoring seven of the game's next nine points to get within one, 25-24. Robbi Ryan accounted for five of the seven points as the Sun Devils showed they more than up to the challenge.
Ninety seconds later Wiese hit the first of consecutive triples to put the Beavers back up by seven, 31-24. Dornstauder, who had six points in the quarter, got ASU within five at the half after a layup with six seconds left in the quarter.
Defense would dominate the first half of the third quarter as only four points were scored over the first five-plus minutes of the second half. Unfortunately for the Sun Devils it was Oregon State that was responsible for all four points as the Beavers went up 35-26.
Offense would be the theme in the final half of the quarter the two teams scored 10 points each. The Beavers would take their first double-digit lead, but the Sun Devils once again got it within single digits as Dornstauder's layup made it a nine-point game entering the fourth quarter.
ASU was still without four-year starter Kelsey Moos who has not played since injuring her foot on New Year's Day (has missed last nine games). She is expected to return later this month.
Friday's game against Oregon State was played in front of a season-high crowd of 4,025 at Wells Fargo Arena.
The Sun Devils have a quick turnaround as they will face Oregon on Sunday (noon MT) in the program's annual Breast Cancer Awareness Pink Game. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to the game to show their support for this special cause. The game can be seen on Pac-12 Arizona/Oregon and heard on NBC Sports Radio AM 1060.
Quinn Dornstauder led ASU with 17 points to go with six rebounds while Sophie Brunner nearly recorded her 21st career double-double with nine points and 14 rebounds (one rebound short of tying her career high). Kianna Ibis added seven points for the Sun Devils (14-8, 5-6 Pac-12), who were not able to overcome a 34-percent shooting effort.
"That was a great effort by our team," ASU head coach Charli Turner Thorne said. "Any time you hold Oregon State to 54 points, you expect to win. I thought we battled really well. We needed to hit some perimeter shots. (The result) is disappointing, but coming out of last weekend, I really loved the way we competed today. That's a really good team and every time we didn't do something, they made us pay. We didn't have too many mistakes, we just needed to shoot a little better. We also gave up a few key offensive rebounds down the stretch. We're just learning and growing."
Oregon State's Marie Gulich led all players with 18 points to go with 10 boards, while Sydney Wiese added 16 points and six assists for the visiting Beavers (21-2, 10-1) who remained tied with eighth-ranked Stanford atop the Pac-12 standings.
The Beavers matched their biggest lead of the game after Wiese knocked down a 3-pointer to put her team up 48-36 with 8:04 remaining. After an exchange of baskets the Sun Devils were able to string together a 7-0 run. A layup by Ibis, a 3-point play by Dornstauder and a layup by Reili Richardson and suddenly the surging Sun Devils were within five at the four-minute mark. After an Oregon State timeout, the Sun Devils forced the Beavers into a crucial shot clock violation with 3:22 left, but ASU could not pull any closer as Richardson's 3-point attempt went in and out. The Beavers would go on to score the last four points of the game to seal the win.
"You have to credit Oregon State, they're a Final Four team," Turner Thorne said. "I will say that I thought we gave a great effort. I liked the effort and I liked how hard we played. I thought we were pretty connected and that we played together. We just have to execute better."
The game featuring the top two scoring defenses in the Pac-12 started out as anticipated with both teams battling back and forth throughout the first quarter. Brunner sparked the Sun Devil offense by connecting on two of her first three shots to start. She would go on to lead all players with seven points in the quarter. It appeared neither team would enter the second frame with an advantage on the scoreboard, but a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Kat Tudor gave OSU a 14-11 lead.
The Beavers would extend their lead to six a little more than four minutes into the second quarter, but the Sun Devils would respond by scoring seven of the game's next nine points to get within one, 25-24. Robbi Ryan accounted for five of the seven points as the Sun Devils showed they more than up to the challenge.
Ninety seconds later Wiese hit the first of consecutive triples to put the Beavers back up by seven, 31-24. Dornstauder, who had six points in the quarter, got ASU within five at the half after a layup with six seconds left in the quarter.
Defense would dominate the first half of the third quarter as only four points were scored over the first five-plus minutes of the second half. Unfortunately for the Sun Devils it was Oregon State that was responsible for all four points as the Beavers went up 35-26.
Offense would be the theme in the final half of the quarter the two teams scored 10 points each. The Beavers would take their first double-digit lead, but the Sun Devils once again got it within single digits as Dornstauder's layup made it a nine-point game entering the fourth quarter.
ASU was still without four-year starter Kelsey Moos who has not played since injuring her foot on New Year's Day (has missed last nine games). She is expected to return later this month.
Friday's game against Oregon State was played in front of a season-high crowd of 4,025 at Wells Fargo Arena.
The Sun Devils have a quick turnaround as they will face Oregon on Sunday (noon MT) in the program's annual Breast Cancer Awareness Pink Game. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to the game to show their support for this special cause. The game can be seen on Pac-12 Arizona/Oregon and heard on NBC Sports Radio AM 1060.