TEMPE, Ariz. – The Arizona State University women's basketball team is ranked No. 23 in the Associated Press preseason poll, which was announced on Wednesday.
The Sun Devils are coming off a campaign in which they tied the school records for consecutive NCAA appearances (five) and 20-win seasons (five). The team will return all of its core players next season including 2018 All-Pac-12 standout and leading scorer Kianna Ibis and 2018 All-Pac-12 honorable mention/Pac-12 defensive honorable mention selection Robbi Ryan.
Also returning are the team's 2017-18 leaders in 3-pointers (senior Courtney Ekmark), field goal percentage (senior Charnea Johnson-Chapman), assists (junior Reili Richardson) and steals (junior Kiara Russell). Head coach Charli Turner Thorne, who will be entering her 22nd season, will also welcome what is expected to be an impactful freshman class: Jamie Loera, Taya Hanson, Iris Mbulito, Jayde Van Hyfte.
ASU is one of five Pac-12 teams – No. 3 Oregon, No. 7 Stanford, No. 8 Oregon State, No. 24 Cal – that are ranked, marking the third-straight year the conference has had five teams in the preseason poll.
In addition to the home-and-home series with the aforementioned Pac-12 schools, ASU also has contests scheduled this season against No. 4 Baylor (Showdown on the Rez game on Nov. 11) and No. 5 Louisville (at South Point Shootout in Las Vegas on Nov. 23).
ASU will open its 2018-19 season on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. when it hosts Incarnate Word at Wells Fargo Arena. The game will be preceded by the Sun Devil men's basketball team's season opener against Cal State Fullerton at 6 p.m.
Season and single-game tickets are now on sale for the Sun Devil women's basketball team's home slate. Click here for more information or contact a Sun Devil ticket office representative at 480-965-5812.
The Sun Devils are coming off a campaign in which they tied the school records for consecutive NCAA appearances (five) and 20-win seasons (five). The team will return all of its core players next season including 2018 All-Pac-12 standout and leading scorer Kianna Ibis and 2018 All-Pac-12 honorable mention/Pac-12 defensive honorable mention selection Robbi Ryan.
Also returning are the team's 2017-18 leaders in 3-pointers (senior Courtney Ekmark), field goal percentage (senior Charnea Johnson-Chapman), assists (junior Reili Richardson) and steals (junior Kiara Russell). Head coach Charli Turner Thorne, who will be entering her 22nd season, will also welcome what is expected to be an impactful freshman class: Jamie Loera, Taya Hanson, Iris Mbulito, Jayde Van Hyfte.
ASU is one of five Pac-12 teams – No. 3 Oregon, No. 7 Stanford, No. 8 Oregon State, No. 24 Cal – that are ranked, marking the third-straight year the conference has had five teams in the preseason poll.
In addition to the home-and-home series with the aforementioned Pac-12 schools, ASU also has contests scheduled this season against No. 4 Baylor (Showdown on the Rez game on Nov. 11) and No. 5 Louisville (at South Point Shootout in Las Vegas on Nov. 23).
ASU will open its 2018-19 season on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. when it hosts Incarnate Word at Wells Fargo Arena. The game will be preceded by the Sun Devil men's basketball team's season opener against Cal State Fullerton at 6 p.m.
Season and single-game tickets are now on sale for the Sun Devil women's basketball team's home slate. Click here for more information or contact a Sun Devil ticket office representative at 480-965-5812.