TEMPE, Ariz. – Courtney Ekmark (20 points, seven rebounds) and Kianna Ibis (19 points, 10 rebounds) combined for 39 points and 17 rebounds to help lead the No. 21 Arizona State women's basketball team to a 60-47 win over Arizona on Friday night.
The Sun Devils (15-6, 6-4 Pac-12) outscored Arizona (14-7, 4-6) 21-12 in the fourth quarter to break open what was a four-point game after the first 30 minutes.
Ibis scored the first five points in the first minute of the fourth quarter to help give ASU some separation after Arizona's 11-3 run to close out the third quarter. Ekmark then helped close out the game by going 5-6 from the line in the final 2:12.
Charnea Johnson-Chapman (three points, nine rebounds, two blocks) and Sophia Elenga (six points, seven rebounds) combined with Ibis and Ekmark for 33 of ASU's 44 rebounds. ASU ended the game with a plus-16 advantage on the boards (44-28) and limited Arizona to a 35-percent shooting effort.
With the win, the Sun Devils avenged a 51-39 loss to Arizona in Tucson on Dec. 30 and have now won 28 of the last 33 meetings against the Wildcats.
Arizona's Aari McDonald, who had 24 points on 9-17 shooting in Arizona's win in December, scored a game-high 28 points on Friday, this time going 8-22 from the floor. She also was 11-12 from the line (6-7 in first meeting).
"I'm very proud of our defensive effort," ASU head coach Charli Turner Thorne said. "Arizona is a very good team and they did a great job of fighting until the end. We missed some layups and missed some free throws that would've helped us, but in some ways having these close games... it probably helps us more that we have to fight to the end versus pulling away."
After leading the way with eight points each in the first half, Ekmark (12 points in second half) and Ibis (11 points in second half) both notched double-figure scoring efforts in the second half as the two seniors combined for 23 points.
"(Kianna Ibis) and Courtney just stepping up and making plays, being those go-to seniors… They're really coming through for us. I am excited for that defensive effort, especially in a big game like this. I thought we did a really good job on McDonald for most of the game, and that was key to do it early. You knew you weren't going to shut her down, but do it early and build a little bit of a cushion there. I think, you get to this point of the season...the scoring goes down. Rebounding and defense matter a lot, and I thought we really brought both of those today. I was really happy with our rebounding effort."
Both teams struggled to get their offenses going early in the first quarter, combining for just 16 points (ASU 9 and Arizona 7). Ibis' layup with 3:29 left in the frame gave ASU a 7-2 lead and pushed the 2018 All-Pac-12 standout's career point total over the 1,000-point mark.
ASU more than doubled its first quarter point total over the first 3:17 of the second frame as the Sun Devils used a 12-4 run to take their first double-digit advantage of the game, 21-11. The last seven points of the scoring spurt came in a 55-second flurry as Ibis (jumper) and Ekmark (layup and 3-pointer) helped the Sun Devils jumpstart their offense.
ASU would go on to outscore the Wildcats 16-6 in the second quarter to take a 25-13 halftime lead. Ekmark and Ibis scored eight points each to pace ASU's attack in the first half. The Sun Devils held Arizona to only 25 percent shooting over the first 20 minutes.
Ibis' jumper to start the second half extended ASU's lead to 14 points, 27-13. After Arizona cut the deficit to seven, Ekmark came back with a 3-pointer and layup to move ASU's advantage back up to 12 points, 36-24.
The Wildcats would once again rally as they ended the quarter with an 11-3 run to cut ASU's lead to 39-35 entering the final quarter.
The Sun Devils return to action next week when they travel to the state of Washington for games at Washington State (Thursday at 7 p.m. PT/8 p.m. MT) and Washington (Saturday at 2 p.m. PT/3 p.m. MT).
The Sun Devils (15-6, 6-4 Pac-12) outscored Arizona (14-7, 4-6) 21-12 in the fourth quarter to break open what was a four-point game after the first 30 minutes.
Ibis scored the first five points in the first minute of the fourth quarter to help give ASU some separation after Arizona's 11-3 run to close out the third quarter. Ekmark then helped close out the game by going 5-6 from the line in the final 2:12.
Charnea Johnson-Chapman (three points, nine rebounds, two blocks) and Sophia Elenga (six points, seven rebounds) combined with Ibis and Ekmark for 33 of ASU's 44 rebounds. ASU ended the game with a plus-16 advantage on the boards (44-28) and limited Arizona to a 35-percent shooting effort.
With the win, the Sun Devils avenged a 51-39 loss to Arizona in Tucson on Dec. 30 and have now won 28 of the last 33 meetings against the Wildcats.
Arizona's Aari McDonald, who had 24 points on 9-17 shooting in Arizona's win in December, scored a game-high 28 points on Friday, this time going 8-22 from the floor. She also was 11-12 from the line (6-7 in first meeting).
"I'm very proud of our defensive effort," ASU head coach Charli Turner Thorne said. "Arizona is a very good team and they did a great job of fighting until the end. We missed some layups and missed some free throws that would've helped us, but in some ways having these close games... it probably helps us more that we have to fight to the end versus pulling away."
After leading the way with eight points each in the first half, Ekmark (12 points in second half) and Ibis (11 points in second half) both notched double-figure scoring efforts in the second half as the two seniors combined for 23 points.
"(Kianna Ibis) and Courtney just stepping up and making plays, being those go-to seniors… They're really coming through for us. I am excited for that defensive effort, especially in a big game like this. I thought we did a really good job on McDonald for most of the game, and that was key to do it early. You knew you weren't going to shut her down, but do it early and build a little bit of a cushion there. I think, you get to this point of the season...the scoring goes down. Rebounding and defense matter a lot, and I thought we really brought both of those today. I was really happy with our rebounding effort."
Both teams struggled to get their offenses going early in the first quarter, combining for just 16 points (ASU 9 and Arizona 7). Ibis' layup with 3:29 left in the frame gave ASU a 7-2 lead and pushed the 2018 All-Pac-12 standout's career point total over the 1,000-point mark.
ASU more than doubled its first quarter point total over the first 3:17 of the second frame as the Sun Devils used a 12-4 run to take their first double-digit advantage of the game, 21-11. The last seven points of the scoring spurt came in a 55-second flurry as Ibis (jumper) and Ekmark (layup and 3-pointer) helped the Sun Devils jumpstart their offense.
ASU would go on to outscore the Wildcats 16-6 in the second quarter to take a 25-13 halftime lead. Ekmark and Ibis scored eight points each to pace ASU's attack in the first half. The Sun Devils held Arizona to only 25 percent shooting over the first 20 minutes.
Ibis' jumper to start the second half extended ASU's lead to 14 points, 27-13. After Arizona cut the deficit to seven, Ekmark came back with a 3-pointer and layup to move ASU's advantage back up to 12 points, 36-24.
The Wildcats would once again rally as they ended the quarter with an 11-3 run to cut ASU's lead to 39-35 entering the final quarter.
The Sun Devils return to action next week when they travel to the state of Washington for games at Washington State (Thursday at 7 p.m. PT/8 p.m. MT) and Washington (Saturday at 2 p.m. PT/3 p.m. MT).