TEMPE, Ariz. – Ja'Tavia Tapley (eight of team-high 15 points) and Kiara Russell (four of career-high 14 points) combined for 12 points in overtime to help lift the Arizona State women's basketball team to a 74-69 win over Idaho State on Sunday.
Tapley, who had 11 points and a career-high 18 rebounds – the most rebounds by a Sun Devil in more than 20 years – in Friday's comeback win over BYU, added 11 boards on Sunday to post her second consecutive double-double.
The Sun Devils, who started the game down two players – including starting senior post Jamie Ruden – played most of the last three quarters without starter Robbi Ryan after the senior guard left the game due to injury with 7:36 remaining in the second quarter.
It appeared the Sun Devils (7-2) were going to pull away from the Bengals after freshman Sara Bejedi made her second consecutive basket to give ASU a 56-49 lead with 5:51 remaining.
However the Bengals (4-3) would not go away and reeled off seven straight points to tie the game at 56-56 after Dora Goles' hoop with 1:37 remaining.
Reili Richardson answered with a 3-pointer to give ASU a 59-56 lead with 1:09 left.
The upset-minded Bengals responded with a 3-pointer by Callie Bourne to once again even the score at 59-59 and send the game to overtime.
The Sun Devils jumped on Idaho State in the early stages of the extra session, scoring 11 straight points to claim a 70-59 lead after Russell's 3-point play with 1:43 remaining.
The Bengals would get no closer than five points the rest of the way.
"I'm proud that we stayed with things and toughed it out," ASU head coach Charli Turner Thorne said. "Down to two seniors now and everybody else is a new player for us and that showed. A lot of inconsistencies on both sides of the ball but I said all along Idaho State has a chance to win the Big Sky, they're banking in threes and hitting shots, so credit them for that. Discredit us for letting them do it. We've got to better at being consistent.
"Every win for our team is huge right now. To have all these young kids learning how to win and it's just a tough schedule. There's no easy outs left. We started slow with the first two games and after that, it's picked up. It's been pretty good competition. Usually, December is easier and November is really hard, but I like our harder December schedule. I think that it will serve us well going into Pac-12 especially with the team we have this year."
The Sun Devils shot 48 percent, their best shooting effort since a 54-percent performance in the season opener against Air Force.
Richardson, who scored a season-high 15 points in Friday's win over BYU, added nine points. Ryan scored eight of ASU's first 20 points before having to depart the game.
As has been the case all season, ASU won the battle of the boards, recording 21 more rebounds (47-26) than the Bengals. Tapley (11 rebounds), Jayde Van Hyfte (seven rebounds), Russell and Eboni Walker (four rebounds each) were responsible for more than half of the team's rebounds.
Ryan came out and scored ASU's first four points and would go on to lead the Sun Devils with eight points in the period. As a team the Sun Devils shot 50 percent (7-14) from the floor over the first 10 minutes. Despite its accuracy from the floor, ASU led by no more than two and trailed by as many as four points before reclaiming the lead (18-17) in the final seconds of the quarter on a free throw by Russell.
The Bengals started the second quarter on a 10-4 run to take a 27-22 lead after Goles' 3-pointer. The Sun Devils would counter with a 5-0 run of their own – three free throws by Richardson and a steal and layup by Van Hyfte – to knot the score at 27-27. Goles, who had 10 points in the quarter and would go on to score a game-high 26 points, hit her third triple of the frame to start an 8-2 run by the Bengals to close out the half.
The game of runs continued at the start of the third quarter as the Sun Devils came out and scored seven straight points – Tapley layup, Russell 3-point play, Tapley layup – to go back on top 36-35.
Later in the quarter, Russell helped the Sun Devils gain a little more separation from ISU after scoring on two layups in 19 seconds to extend ASU's advantage to 45-39. ASU would eventually take a 46-43 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Sun Devils return to action on Saturday (2 p.m. MST) when they host New Mexico at Desert Financial Arena. The game can be seen on Pac-12 Network and heard on KDUS AM 1060 and the Sun Devil Athletics TuneIn Channel.
Tapley, who had 11 points and a career-high 18 rebounds – the most rebounds by a Sun Devil in more than 20 years – in Friday's comeback win over BYU, added 11 boards on Sunday to post her second consecutive double-double.
The Sun Devils, who started the game down two players – including starting senior post Jamie Ruden – played most of the last three quarters without starter Robbi Ryan after the senior guard left the game due to injury with 7:36 remaining in the second quarter.
It appeared the Sun Devils (7-2) were going to pull away from the Bengals after freshman Sara Bejedi made her second consecutive basket to give ASU a 56-49 lead with 5:51 remaining.
However the Bengals (4-3) would not go away and reeled off seven straight points to tie the game at 56-56 after Dora Goles' hoop with 1:37 remaining.
Reili Richardson answered with a 3-pointer to give ASU a 59-56 lead with 1:09 left.
The upset-minded Bengals responded with a 3-pointer by Callie Bourne to once again even the score at 59-59 and send the game to overtime.
The Sun Devils jumped on Idaho State in the early stages of the extra session, scoring 11 straight points to claim a 70-59 lead after Russell's 3-point play with 1:43 remaining.
The Bengals would get no closer than five points the rest of the way.
"I'm proud that we stayed with things and toughed it out," ASU head coach Charli Turner Thorne said. "Down to two seniors now and everybody else is a new player for us and that showed. A lot of inconsistencies on both sides of the ball but I said all along Idaho State has a chance to win the Big Sky, they're banking in threes and hitting shots, so credit them for that. Discredit us for letting them do it. We've got to better at being consistent.
"Every win for our team is huge right now. To have all these young kids learning how to win and it's just a tough schedule. There's no easy outs left. We started slow with the first two games and after that, it's picked up. It's been pretty good competition. Usually, December is easier and November is really hard, but I like our harder December schedule. I think that it will serve us well going into Pac-12 especially with the team we have this year."
The Sun Devils shot 48 percent, their best shooting effort since a 54-percent performance in the season opener against Air Force.
Richardson, who scored a season-high 15 points in Friday's win over BYU, added nine points. Ryan scored eight of ASU's first 20 points before having to depart the game.
As has been the case all season, ASU won the battle of the boards, recording 21 more rebounds (47-26) than the Bengals. Tapley (11 rebounds), Jayde Van Hyfte (seven rebounds), Russell and Eboni Walker (four rebounds each) were responsible for more than half of the team's rebounds.
Ryan came out and scored ASU's first four points and would go on to lead the Sun Devils with eight points in the period. As a team the Sun Devils shot 50 percent (7-14) from the floor over the first 10 minutes. Despite its accuracy from the floor, ASU led by no more than two and trailed by as many as four points before reclaiming the lead (18-17) in the final seconds of the quarter on a free throw by Russell.
The Bengals started the second quarter on a 10-4 run to take a 27-22 lead after Goles' 3-pointer. The Sun Devils would counter with a 5-0 run of their own – three free throws by Richardson and a steal and layup by Van Hyfte – to knot the score at 27-27. Goles, who had 10 points in the quarter and would go on to score a game-high 26 points, hit her third triple of the frame to start an 8-2 run by the Bengals to close out the half.
The game of runs continued at the start of the third quarter as the Sun Devils came out and scored seven straight points – Tapley layup, Russell 3-point play, Tapley layup – to go back on top 36-35.
Later in the quarter, Russell helped the Sun Devils gain a little more separation from ISU after scoring on two layups in 19 seconds to extend ASU's advantage to 45-39. ASU would eventually take a 46-43 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Sun Devils return to action on Saturday (2 p.m. MST) when they host New Mexico at Desert Financial Arena. The game can be seen on Pac-12 Network and heard on KDUS AM 1060 and the Sun Devil Athletics TuneIn Channel.