TEMPE, Ariz. - They're going, gone! The Sun Devil women's basketball team ran away with an opening night win, 87-56, against Air Force on Tuesday. Jamie Ruden scored a team-high 14 points, and was one of four Sun Devils who scored in double figures.
The young ASU team outrebounded the Falcons 42 to 36 and capitalized on its defensive prowess, scoring 28 points off of Air Force's 22 turnovers. On the offensive end, ASU (1-0) connected on 54 percent of its shots.
Ruden (14 points, 6-10 FGs) and fellow post Jayde Van Hyfte (12 points, 5-6 FGs) – both making their first career start – combined for 26 points while shooting 68.8 percent (11-16 FGs) for the game.
Freshman Sara Bejedi's 3-pointer with 6:40 left in the opening frame gave ASU a lead it would not relinquish. As part of coach Charli Turner Thorne's focus on a fast-paced game, the Sun Devils attacked both sides of the court, with the Sun Devil defense holding the Falcons to a field goal percentage of just 36.1 percent.
"I've been telling everybody we're going to be faster, we're going to be more athletic and we're going to play faster," Turner Thorne said. "Obviously, (there) was a little first-game jitters and hopefully every day, every game we'll just clean it up a little bit better."
Bejedi made an impressive debut for the Sun Devils, scoring 12 points and adding three assists in her time on the court. Fellow newcomer Ja'Tavia Tapley also contributed meaningful minutes for ASU, scoring 11 points and notching a team-high eight rebounds.
Ruden and guard Bejedi led the Sun Devil squad in points with eight each through the first 20 minutes. At the break, ASU had scored half of its 40 points in the paint and boasted a 90 percent free throw percentage (9-10).
The third quarter proved to be ASU's strongest scoring period, posting 27 points. In the final 10 minutes, ASU allowed only 11 points, matching the same point total Air Force managed in the first quarter.
Notes
A word with Charli Turner Thorne...
Opening statement:
"I thought that was a fun team win. I've been telling everybody we're going to be faster, we're going to be more athletic and we're going to play faster. I was really pleased. Obviously, (there) was a little first-game jitters and hopefully every day, every game we'll just clean it up a little bit better. Our rebounding is certainly something we're going to keep focusing on. I I thought it was a great team win. You guys got to see that we have a lot of pieces this year, so it's just kind of continuing to put them together."
On growing as a team:
"We're young and they're just learning to be consistent. I thought we had a couple good runs, and now the key is just learning how to sustain them. It'll be exciting. It'll be a fun process."
On the team's perimeter depth:
"We're really talented with our freshmen and our sophomores and we're going to be a lot deeper on the perimeter than we've been ever in Robbi (Ryan) or Reili (Richardson) or Kiki (Russell)'s career. They have had great careers for us and they've logged a ton of minutes, and they're great leaders and great teammates. They're happy for these guards coming in and happy to share the load. They're going to get to do that this year."
On Sara Bejedi's performance:
"She does bring a lot (to the team). She can create plays on both sides of the ball. She's just learning the pace and learning the attention to detail of this level, but I was really pleased with her. I kind of got on her not switching out and just taking a quick shot when we talked at halftime that we were going to make them guard us and not just come down and shoot off one pass with their defensive set, so I kind of got on her because I think she is going to really impact our team this year, and she really handled it well and adjusted. She can do all of those things. The most fun thing is she's going to make people guard her, and then when they come up on her, good luck keeping her in front. And then she can finish and she can find people."
Up Next For The Sun Devils
The Sun Devils (1-0) return to action against Army on Sunday at 5 p.m. MST at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, Ariz.
The young ASU team outrebounded the Falcons 42 to 36 and capitalized on its defensive prowess, scoring 28 points off of Air Force's 22 turnovers. On the offensive end, ASU (1-0) connected on 54 percent of its shots.
Ruden (14 points, 6-10 FGs) and fellow post Jayde Van Hyfte (12 points, 5-6 FGs) – both making their first career start – combined for 26 points while shooting 68.8 percent (11-16 FGs) for the game.
SUN DEVILS WIN??
— Sun Devil WBB (@SunDevilWBB) November 6, 2019
No. 18 Arizona State wins on Opening Night! pic.twitter.com/c8ZQOgWMcF
Freshman Sara Bejedi's 3-pointer with 6:40 left in the opening frame gave ASU a lead it would not relinquish. As part of coach Charli Turner Thorne's focus on a fast-paced game, the Sun Devils attacked both sides of the court, with the Sun Devil defense holding the Falcons to a field goal percentage of just 36.1 percent.
"I've been telling everybody we're going to be faster, we're going to be more athletic and we're going to play faster," Turner Thorne said. "Obviously, (there) was a little first-game jitters and hopefully every day, every game we'll just clean it up a little bit better."
Bejedi made an impressive debut for the Sun Devils, scoring 12 points and adding three assists in her time on the court. Fellow newcomer Ja'Tavia Tapley also contributed meaningful minutes for ASU, scoring 11 points and notching a team-high eight rebounds.
THIS FRESHMAN IS ON FIRE ?? ??
— Sun Devil WBB (@SunDevilWBB) November 6, 2019
.@SaraBejedi with her team-leading second three of the game! pic.twitter.com/erh9pqh7I2
Ruden and guard Bejedi led the Sun Devil squad in points with eight each through the first 20 minutes. At the break, ASU had scored half of its 40 points in the paint and boasted a 90 percent free throw percentage (9-10).
The third quarter proved to be ASU's strongest scoring period, posting 27 points. In the final 10 minutes, ASU allowed only 11 points, matching the same point total Air Force managed in the first quarter.
Notes
- ASU kept its offensive game in high-gear while simultaneously stifling Air Force's offense, holding the Falcons to 36.1 percent shooting from the field.
- Kiara Russell made all four of her shots and had nine points.
- The three Sun Devil freshmen – Sara Bejedi (12 points), Eboni Walker (seven points), Sydnei Caldwell (six points) – accounted for 25 of the team's 87 points.
- The Sun Devils' depth was on display as the team scored 41 points off the bench, compared to just 13 for the Falcons. All 11 active players scored.
- ASU outscored Air Force 22 to 6 on fast break points.
- Three Sun Devils made their first career start: sophomore G Taya Hanson, senior F Jamie Ruden and sophomore F Jayde Van Hyfte.
A word with Charli Turner Thorne...
Opening statement:
"I thought that was a fun team win. I've been telling everybody we're going to be faster, we're going to be more athletic and we're going to play faster. I was really pleased. Obviously, (there) was a little first-game jitters and hopefully every day, every game we'll just clean it up a little bit better. Our rebounding is certainly something we're going to keep focusing on. I I thought it was a great team win. You guys got to see that we have a lot of pieces this year, so it's just kind of continuing to put them together."
On growing as a team:
"We're young and they're just learning to be consistent. I thought we had a couple good runs, and now the key is just learning how to sustain them. It'll be exciting. It'll be a fun process."
On the team's perimeter depth:
"We're really talented with our freshmen and our sophomores and we're going to be a lot deeper on the perimeter than we've been ever in Robbi (Ryan) or Reili (Richardson) or Kiki (Russell)'s career. They have had great careers for us and they've logged a ton of minutes, and they're great leaders and great teammates. They're happy for these guards coming in and happy to share the load. They're going to get to do that this year."
On Sara Bejedi's performance:
"She does bring a lot (to the team). She can create plays on both sides of the ball. She's just learning the pace and learning the attention to detail of this level, but I was really pleased with her. I kind of got on her not switching out and just taking a quick shot when we talked at halftime that we were going to make them guard us and not just come down and shoot off one pass with their defensive set, so I kind of got on her because I think she is going to really impact our team this year, and she really handled it well and adjusted. She can do all of those things. The most fun thing is she's going to make people guard her, and then when they come up on her, good luck keeping her in front. And then she can finish and she can find people."
Up Next For The Sun Devils
The Sun Devils (1-0) return to action against Army on Sunday at 5 p.m. MST at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, Ariz.