WHEN: Friday at 7 p.m. MT
WHERE: McKale Center • Tucson, Ariz.
TELEVISION: Pac-12 Network/Arizona
RADIO: NBC Sports Radio AM 1060 and SDA TuneIn Channel
UP NEXT
The No. 23 (USA Today coaches poll) Arizona State women's basketball team plays its final road game of the regular season on Friday (7 p.m. MT) when it travels to Tucson to take on in-state rival Arizona in the first of consecutive games against the Wildcats. Two days later (Sunday at 4 p.m. MT) the two teams will reconvene in Tempe for the rematch. One-half point will be at stake in each matchup in the annual Territorial Cup Series between the two schools.
The Sun Devils (16-9, 7-7 Pac-12) come into Friday's contest tied for fifth place in the Pac-12 with Oregon (17-9, 7-7). Both teams trail fourth-place/No. 18 UCLA (18-7, 9-5) by two games. With four games remaining in the regular season the Sun Devils still have a chance to claim fourth place and a bye in next month's Pac-12 Tournament (Mar. 2-5) in Seattle. Three of the four byes have already been clinched by the three teams currently occupying first place in the Pac-12: No. 9 Washington (24-3, 12-2), No. 10 Stanford (22-4, 12-2) and No. 11 Oregon State (22-3, 12-2). The Bruins host Washington on Friday and Washington State on Sunday and then close out the regular season with games at UA (Feb. 24) and at ASU (Feb. 26).
The Sun Devils are coming off a split for the second straight week, defeating Washington State 61-58 on Friday and falling at Washington 70-57 on Sunday. Sophie Brunner (12.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg), Quinn Dornstauder (10.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg) and Sabrina Haines (9.5 ppg) combined to average 31.5 points in each of the two games. Haines scored 15 of her game-high 17 points in the second half at Washington State to help ASU outlast the Cougars. Dornstauder posted her fourth double-double of the season (12 points, 11 rebounds) while Robbi Ryan added 10 points for the Sun Devils, who allowed the Cougars to make only 32 percent of their shots in the second half. Also contributing solid outings for the Sun Devils were Brunner and Kiara Russell, who scored eight points each, and Kianna Ibis, who collected a career-high eight rebounds to go with two points and two steals.
A tough second quarter in which the Sun Devils were outscored 21-11 by the Huskies proved to be the difference against Washington as the two teams played on fairly even terms – Washington outscored ASU 49-46 – for the other three quarters. Brunner (16 points, six rebounds and four assists) and Reili Richardson (13 points, three assists) led the Sun Devils. Ibis added seven rebounds giving her 15 for the weekend.
A combination playing eight of 12 games on the road, injuries (four-year starter Kelsey Moos has missed last 12 games) and a difficult stretch in the schedule have all contributed to ASU's recent 3-6 record. Despite all they have been up against, ASU was tied in the fourth quarter of its first meeting vs. Washington (Jan. 15) and was a missed 3-pointer away from getting within two points late in the fourth quarter both at UCLA (Jan. 27) and vs. Oregon State (Feb. 3).
Arizona (12-13, 3-11) is coming off a 70-62 win at Washington State on Sunday, its second victory over the Cougars this season. The Wildcats are led by LaBrittney Jones (14.8 ppg/ninth) and Malena Washington (12.6 ppg/16th) who are both among the top 16 in the Pac-12 in points per game.
COVERAGE
Friday's game at Arizona can be seen on Pac-12 Network/Arizona (Play-by-play: Kate Scott; Analyst: Tammy Blackburn) and heard on NBC Sports Radio AM 1060 and on the Sun Devil Athletics TuneIn Channel. Pregame radio coverage will begin at 6:30 p.m. Veteran broadcaster and the state of Arizona's 2010 Broadcaster of the Year Jeff Munn is in his 13th season as the voice of ASU women's basketball.
SERIES NOTES VERSUS ARIZONA (ASU LEADS 57-27)
The Sun Devils have won 23 of the last 26 meetings. ASU has swept the season series each of the last two seasons. Last year the Sun Devils came out on top 61-49 in Tempe and 62-47 in Tucson. Among current Sun Devils, Sophie Brunner averaged 12.0 points and 6.0 rebounds and connected on 67 percent of her shots (10-15) in the two games while Kelsey Moos averaged 6.0 rebounds. Brunner scored a career-high 26 points in ASU's 71-54 win in Tempe in 2015.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
• This season ASU returned three senior starters – posts Sophie Brunner, Quinn Dornstauder and Kelsey Moos – from the 2015-16 team that captured a share of the Pac-12 regular season title, won 26 games (tied for third-highest in program history) and earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament (highest placement in program history). In addition, 2016 Pac-12 Coach of the Year Charli Turner Thorne welcomed a five-member freshman class – Sydney Goodson, Reili Richardson, Jamie Ruden, Kiara Russell and Robbi Ryan – that was ranked among the nation's top 10 signing classes when it was announced last fall. Moos has missed 12 games in Pac-12 play after injuring her foot vs. Cal on New Year's Day while Ruden was lost for the season after injuring her foot in practice on Dec. 28.
• ASU has held every Pac-12 opponent below its scoring average and all but five of those opponents (at Stanford, at UCLA, at USC, vs. Oregon, at WSU) 12 or more points below its scoring average coming into the game.
• ASU had held the opposition to 10 or fewer points in a quarter 21x this season.
• ASU has outrebounded all but six of its opponents: vs. Maryland (-19), at Stanford (-8), at UCLA (even) vs. Oregon State (-5), at WSU (-1) and at Washington (-7).
• As of Feb. 14, ASU is ranked among the top third in the Pac-12 in rebounding defense (1st/31.1 rpg), 3-point FG pct. defense (1st/27.4/22nd in nation), scoring defense (3rd/56.4 ppg/27th in nation), offensive rebounds (3rd/14.8 rpg), rebounding margin (4th/+7.6/21st in nation). Individually, Brunner is 6th in offensive rebounds (3.2 rpg), 7th in FG pct. (51.0), 9th in rebounds (7.7 rpg), 12th in FT pct. (71.4) and 15th in scoring (13.1 ppg); Dornstauder is 12th in shot blocks (1.2 bpg), 13th rebounding (6.2 rpg) and offensive rebounds (3.2 rpg), 14th in FG pct (47.4) and 25th in scoring (10.2 ppg); Richardson is 3rd in assist/turnover ratio (2.2), 5th in FT pct. (83.1) and 12th in assists (3.9 apg).
• Head coach Charli Turner Thorne needs four wins to record her 400th win at ASU. In 2016 Turner Thorne recorded the 400th win of her career (includes 40 wins NAU).
• Brunner (F) and Dornstauder (C) have started all 25 games this season.
• Moos (102 starts in 104 career games), who is No. 6 on ASU's career list for rebounds, is expected to return on Friday after missing ASU's last 12 games due to a foot injury suffered against Cal on New Year's Day. At the time of her injury Moos led the team in 3-ptrs (11), steals (1.8 spg) and FT pct. (92.9/13-14), was 2nd in rebounding (5.8 rpg) and 3rd in assists (2.3 apg). Prior to the injury Moos had established new single-game career highs this season for assists (8) and steals (6) and tied a career high with three 3-pointers
• Brunner (1,284 points/ninth) needs 21 points to pass Briann January for eighth place on ASU's all-time list. Brunner, who is No. 2 on ASU's all-time rebounds list (871), is averaging 14.3 points/8.6 rebs in ASU's last 10 games.
• Quinn Dornstauder, who had two career double-doubles coming into this season, has posted four in ASU's last 13 games: vs. Cal (19/10), at Colorado (13/career-high 12 rebounds) at USC (13/10) and at WSU (12/11). She just missed double-doubles in ASU's wins at Utah (15 points, nine rebounds) and at Cal (12 points/8 rebounds).
• Sabrina Haines averaged 15.5 ppg and made 62.5 pct of FGs (10-16), including 67 pct of her 3ptrs (6-9) in ASU's consecutive wins vs. Oregon (Feb. 5) and at WSU (Feb. 10). In the fourth quarter of those games Haines combined for 16 points and knocked down all four of her 3-pointers.
• Freshman guard Robbi Ryan, who has started all 12 games in place of Moos, has scored in double figures 8x this season and has led/tied for team lead in scoring 4x.
• Reili Richardson, who has started 17 games at point guard, has scored in double figures 10x and dished out six or more assists 7x. Richardson, who had a career-high eight assists in ASU's win over Oregon (Feb. 5), needs eight assists to break ASU's freshman assists record held by Kylan Loney (104 in 2002).
• Freshman Kiara Russell started the first seven games at point guard before getting injured during the week of preparation for ASU's game at Kentucky (Dec. 11). She missed six games before returning for ASU's game at Utah (Jan. 6). She has scored a season-high 8 points 3x, including twice in last five games and leads ASU in steals over the last 10 games with 12.
• Sophomore Kianna Ibis, who has scored in double figures 4x this season, has grabbed 5 or more rebs 4x in last 6 games, including career-high 8 at WSU last Friday.
• Over the last 12 games Richardson (27-29) and Haines (22-24) have combined to shoot 92.5 percent from the line (49-53).
SUN DEVILS CONTINUE TO BE AMONG THE PAC-12'S BEST
In what has arguably been the most competitive era in the history of Pac-12 women's basketball, Arizona State has established itself as one of the conference's most successful programs. Since 2015 ASU's 38 wins in Pac-12 play trail only Oregon State's 44 and Stanford's 39. In 2015 the Sun Devils just missed tying for a share of the Pac-12 regular season title, a feat they would accomplish last season after tying Oregon State in the league standings (16-2).
ASU's win over Holy Cross on Dec. 21 was its 40th regular-season, non-conference win in the last four seasons. Going back to the 1986-87 season – the first season of Pac-10/Pac-12 play – ASU's 40 regular-season, non-conference wins are by far the most in a four-season stretch in program history (the next highest total is 33 games done three times: 2003-06/2004-07/2005-08). In addition, ASU's 40 wins leading up to the start of the conference season are more than any other team in the Pac-12 the last four seasons. This was the fourth straight season that ASU brought a winning streak of six or more games into Pac-12 play. The 2013-14 team won 10 straight, the 2014-15 team won seven straight, the 2015-16 team won six straight and this year's team will brought a seven-game winning streak into league play.
CELEBRATING ELITE ACCOMPLISHMENT
This season will be the 10th anniversary of ASU's first ever appearance in the NCAA Elite Eight. Led by senior forwards Aubree Johnson and Emily Westerberg who were both named to the All-Pac-10 Team, ASU set school records for overall wins (31), most Pac-10 wins (16 - tied in 2016) and most road wins (10 - broken in 2016) With the honor, Westerberg became the first Sun Devil to be named to the All-Pac-10 Team three times. In addition to Johnson and Westerberg's accolades, sophomore guard Briann January was named All-Pac-10 Honorable Mention and guard Dymond Simon was named to the Pac-10 All-Freshman Team.
Members of the 2006-07 Elite Eight team will be recognized at halftime of ASU's game vs. Arizona on Feb. 19.
SUN DEVIL WBB JUST AS SUCCESSFUL IN THE CLASSROOM AS IT IS ON THE COURT
For the Fall 2016 semester the Sun Devil WBB team turned in an extraordinary effort in the classroom that resulted in a 3.63 team GPA. Every player on the roster has a cumulative GPA about 3.0, including nine players with a cumulative GPA of 3.4 or higher.
Since the 1996-97 season, Turner Thorne's first season at ASU, the Sun Devils lead the Pac-12 in the number of first-team All-Academic conference awards (19) and the combined number of first- and second-team All-Academic conference awards (40). In 2014-15 ASU's team GPA (3.558) was No. 7 on the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's (WBCA) 2015 Academic Honor Roll.
CoSIDA ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT AWARD IS LATEST OFF-THE-COURT ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR SOPHIE BRUNNER
Sun Devil women's basketball senior forward Sophie Brunner has distinguished herself as a superstar not only for what she has done on the court – currently No. 2 on program's all-time list in career rebounds and No. 9 in career points – but what she has done off of it where she has been recognized both for her work in the classroom and in the community.
On January 5 it was announced Brunner was one of 30 student-athletes named as candidates for the 2016-17 Senior CLASS Award® in women's basketball. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School ®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.
The most recent example of this off-the-court excellence came on Feb. 9 when Brunner was one of five players named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District® VIII Team, according to an announcement by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). By virtue of being named to the first team, Brunner advances to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® Team ballot, where first-, second- and third-team All-America honorees will be selected later this month.
Brunner, who has earned Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention recognition each of the last two seasons, currently maintains a 3.69 GPA in Education Studies.
In December Brunner was one of 97 women's basketball student-athletes named as nominees for the 2017 Allstate WBCA Good Works Team®. The esteemed award honors an outstanding group of student-athletes who represent the sport's finest in the areas of community service and leadership among their peers. The Allstate WBCA Good Works Team® recognizes players at all levels of college basketball whose charitable involvement and altruistic acts stand out amongst all other student-athletes participating in the sport. Brunner's selfless and giving attitude has been on display since her freshman year when she volunteered to be a frequent participant in the Sun Devil women's basketball team's Character Code program. Since that time Brunner, who was also a nominee for the Good Works Team in 2015, has led assemblies in more than 30 schools across the Valley where she encourages youth to practice good character at home, at school and with friends. In 2014 Brunner joined a group of Sun Devil student-athletes who traveled with ASU American Indian students to Hopi and Navajo lands as part of the ASU Tribal Nations Tour. Sophie joined her peers in the endeavor to interact with tribal members, encourage higher education and wellness, and work on community service projects. Brunner's community service efforts have also included being a leader in the Interact Program, where she performed service projects for the underserved, made holiday baskets and kits for Haiti and organized food drives. She also took part in DAWG, a drug and alcohol awareness group promoting sobriety and mentoring her peers.
FREE THROWS
• ASU was picked to finish in fourth place in the Pac-12 by both the league's coaches and media who cover the conference. The Sun Devils received one first-place vote in the media poll.
• Over the last three seasons ASU is 40-7 (.851) in regular-season non-conference games and 53-9 (.855) at home.
• ASU is 38-12 in regular season Pac-12 games going back to 2015. Prior to its loss at Oregon State last season, ASU's 9-0 record in Pac-12 play was its best conference start in program history (surpassed last 7-0 start in 2015).
• The Sun Devils are 27-8 in road games since the start of the 2014-15 season (includes an 19-7 mark in Pac-12 play). Last season the Sun Devils set a program record with 11 road wins.
• ASU has allowed an average of only 55.7 points per game since the start of the 2014-15 season (93 games). ASU has held the opposition to 50 or fewer points 32 times during that stretch. They are 31-1 in those contests. The only loss came at home to Cal (50-49) on Feb. 8, 2015. On average, opposing teams scored more than 15.0 points under their scoring average when facing ASU last season. In fact, only two opponents (Marquette and Tennessee), scored more points than what they averaged coming into their respective games vs. ASU.
• In the last three-plus seasons the Sun Devils are 29-6 in games decided by five points or less and/or overtime, including a 4-0 record this season: ASU's 73-71 overtime win at No. 15 Kentucky on Dec. 11 and its 72-62, double-OT win vs. No. 21 Cal on Jan. 1, 68-63 win over Oregon on Feb. 5, 61-58 win at Washington State on Feb. 10.
CHARLI TURNER THORNE HAS SUN DEVIL WBB AMONG NATION'S ELITE
The all-time winningest coach in program history and No. 2 in the Pac-12 in career wins (396), Charli 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.
Last season Turner Thorne was named the 2016 Pac-12 Coach of the Year (coaches and media), the second time she has been recognized with the honor (2001), after leading the Sun Devils to their second regular season Pac-12 championship. ASU would go on to earn its highest NCAA Tournament seed (No. 2) in program history. In 2016 ASU has also tied the program records for most conference wins (16) and consecutive wins (15) and set the program record for most road wins (11). Turner Thorne would go on to also be named the WBCA Region 5 Co-Coach of the Year.
In 2014-15 Turner Thorne was named one of 10 semifinalists for the Naismith Women's College Coach of the Year 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.
In 2013-14 Turner Thorne, who recorded both the 400th win of her coaching career and her 200th Pac-12 win last season, raised the curtain on the team's current era of success as she 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) in 2012-13 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.
The outstanding success Sun Devil women's basketball has enjoyed under Turner Thorne is a 180-degree difference from the 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.
INJURY NOTES
Kelsey Moos suffered a foot injury late in the second overtime of ASU's win over Cal on Jan. 1 and has missed ASU's last 12 games (team is 6-6 in those games). Moos is expected to return for Friday's game at Arizona. Freshman guard Kiara Russell started the first seven games of the season at point guard before sustaining an injury (quad) in practice on Dec. 5. She missed six games and returned to action at Utah on Jan. 6. Freshman post Jamie Ruden suffered a foot injury in practice on Dec. 28 and is likely to miss the remainder of the season. Freshman Reili Richardson (team-high 11 points, career-high seven rebounds, career-high-tying seven assists) was forced to leave ASU's game vs. Washington (Jan. 15) after suffering an ankle injury with 7:37 remaining in the fourth quarter (game was tied at 48-48 at the time). By the time Richardson returned after being treated on the bench the Sun Devils were down 59-50 with 2:54 left.
FORMER VALLEY STANDOUT/UCONN TRANSFER COURTNEY EKMARK AWAITS OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY NEXT SEASON
Last summer Charli Turner Thorne announced that former UConn guard Courtney Ekmark would be transferring into the Sun Devil women's basketball program. Ekmark, who completed her sophomore season for the Huskies in 2015-16, will have to sit out this season per NCAA transfer rules and then will have two years of eligibility beginning with the 2017-18 season.
"I've know Courtney since she was nine years old and it is so exciting to welcome her home. She was one of the greatest high school players ever to come out of the state of Arizona and we are ecstatic beyond words that she is joining our program," Turner Thorne said. "Courtney is a player who can do it all and she will have an incredible impact in every part of the game. For those that don't know Courtney, her competitive spirit and work ethic are simply in the 99th percentile among college basketball players. Complementing her exceptional talent and toughness is Courtney's giving and passionate nature that will fit perfectly into our culture. She comes from an amazing family that we are very grateful is now part of our Sun Devil family."
Ekmark will be returning to the Valley where she helped lead St. Mary's High School to an 87-3 record (included a 49-game winning streak), three straight Division I State Titles, a No. 1 ranking in the USA Today Super 25 in 2012 and a No. 2 ranking in 2013. Ekmark was named the state of Arizona's Gatorade Player of the Year following a junior season in which she averaged 19.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 steals. In the 2013 state tournament, she averaged 21.5 points in helping lead the Knights to the title. In the 49-37 championship game win over Pinnacle, Ekmark had a game-high 14 points, becoming the first Arizona player to be the top scorer in three consecutive championship games. In addition to her outstanding play on the hardwood, Ekmark also excelled on the tennis court for St. Mary's, earning the top singles spot on the team.
As a member of UConn's two most recent NCAA championship teams, Ekmark played in 61 games, including 10 of the Huskies' 12 NCAA Tournament games. She averaged 9.3 minutes per game during those two seasons and connected on 38 percent of her field goal attempts.
SUN DEVIL WBB ANNOUNCES THE SIGNING OF EVA RUBIN AND BRE'YANNA SANDERS
On Nov. 9, 2016, Arizona State University head women's basketball coach Charli Turner Thorne announced that student-athletes Eva Rubin and Bre'yanna Sanders signed national letters of intent to join the Sun Devil women's basketball program.
"We are excited to announce that Eva and Bre will be joining our Sun Devil women's basketball family," Turner Thorne said. "Both of these young women come from great families and will not only excel on the court but in the classroom and our community."
A 6-5 post, Rubin will be coming to ASU from Homewood-Flossmoor High School in Flossmoor, Illinois, where she averaged 15 points, eight rebounds and four blocks as a junior in 2016. Ranked No. 14 at her position by ESPN.com, Rubin earned Class 3A/4A All-State recognition from the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association last season in addition to also being named to the All-Area and All-Conference teams. As a sophomore in 2015, Rubin helped lead her squad to a fourth-place finish in the IHSA 4A state tournament. During Homewood-Flossmoor's run in the tournament, Rubin tied a Class 4A single-game record with five blocked shots.
A 6-0 forward, Sanders will be joining the Sun Devils from Clovis West High School in Fresno, California, where she has earned first-team All-Valley recognition in addition to being named the team's defensive player of the year each of the last two seasons. In 2016 Sanders averaged 11.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.9 steals and 2.2 blocks in helping lead her team to 30-4 record and the semifinals of the Southern California Regional Open Division. She would go on to be named the league co-player of the year. In 2015 Sanders had a big role on a team that posted a 26-5 record, its third straight Central Section Division I title and reached the second round of the Southern California Open Division regional.
SUN DEVIL WOMEN'S BASKETBALL HOSTED FIRST EVER 'GREEN GAME' SHOWCASING PROGRAM'S COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES
The Sun Devil women's basketball program hosted its first official "Green Game," on January 15, 2017 when it played the University of Washington. The game was used as a platform to highlight and educate fans on Arizona State's desire to make the world more sustainable.
In December ASU women's basketball became the first Sun Devil Athletics team to complete the new green sports sustainability checklist and to be certified a green team.
In addition to the check sheet, the team practices at the Weatherup Center, the first athletic practice facility in the nation to become LEED-certified, earning v2+ Gold status. The facility used renewable maple wood flooring and a large portion of the construction on the building used recycled and locally manufactured materials. The solar panels installed on the roof of the Weatherup Center provide 45 percent of the building's energy and occupancy sensors and window shades help conserve the energy already in use by the facility.
ASU's games at Wells Fargo Arena are played under the first operational LED lighting installation in an NCAA Power Five arena. The LED lighting installation, furnished by Musco Sports lighting, increased the lighting levels within Wells Fargo Arena by 25 percent. The facility now exceeds the 125-vertical foot-candle measurement needed for NCAA Broadcast standards, which factors into championship selections for Arizona State. While improving lighting in the venue, the LED system uses a fraction of the energy from the previous installation. The high-efficiency system reduces energy consumption by 75 percent with a 10-year energy savings is estimated at $284,000 and combined with reduced maintenance costs the total savings estimated at $357,000 over a 10-year period.
Sustainability is one of the pillars of Arizona State University, and Sun Devil Athletics prides itself with aligning the department to minimize its carbon footprint. Athletics provides a unique opportunity to promote sustainability at our University, and Sun Devil Athletics has fully embraced the opportunity to advance sustainable practices as an institution and with our fans. In June of 2016, USG and NACDA named Arizona State the most sustainable athletics department for its innovative and creative sustainable practices. Vice President for University Athletics and Athletics Director Ray Anderson was named to the board of the Green Sports Alliance in November, adding representation of an athletics director from a leader in sustainability within the NCAA to a group with representatives from the NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB and NASCAR.