WHAT: No. 19 Sun Devil WBB (17-6, 8-4 Pac-12) vs. Utah (18-6, 7-6 Pac-12)
WHEN: Sunday at 2 p.m. MT
WHERE: Wells Fargo Arena • Tempe, Ariz.
TELEVISION: Pac-12 Arizona/Mountain
RADIO: NBC Sports Radio AM 1060/TuneIn
LIVE STATS: Click here
TICKETS: Click here
UP NEXT
Winners of four straight contests, the No. 19 Arizona State women's basketball team will look to keep pace in the Pac-12 race when it hosts Utah on Sunday (2 p.m. MT) at Wells Fargo Arena.
ASU's win over Colorado on Friday was just its third game in the month of February. The Sun Devils returned from last week's trip to Washington having played only of the two contests they were scheduled to participate in over the weekend after inclement weather forced the cancelation of their game at Washington (Feb. 9). The week before they played a single game against Arizona. The last time ASU played only six games in the month of February – the number it will have ended up playing – was the 1985-86 season, the year before the start of the Pac-10/12 era for women's basketball.
The Sun Devils come into this Sunday's action in fourth place in the Pac-12 standings. ASU is half a game ahead fifth-place UCLA (15-10, 8-5) and 1.5 games in front of Sunday's opponent, Utah (18-6, 7-6). No. 3 Oregon (24-1, 13-0) currently leads the way followed by No. 10 Stanford (20-4, 10-3) and No. 9 Oregon State (20-5, 10-3), who are tied for second place.
In addition to wanting to improve their NCAA Tournament resume, also at stake for the Sun Devils is trying to secure a bye – awarded to the top four teams in the final Pac-12 regular season standings – in next month's Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas. For ASU, Sunday's game begins a stretch in which it will play four of the top five teams in the conference in the last five games of the regular season: vs. Utah (6th/Sunday), at Stanford (T-2nd/Feb. 24), vs. Oregon State (T-2nd/Mar. 1) and vs. Oregon (1st/Mar. 3).
Sunday's game is a rematch of ASU's come-from-behind, 65-63 win at Utah on Jan. 4. Reili Richardson's buzzer-beater capped an 8-0 run by ASU in the final 80 seconds for the come-from-behind win. Courtney Ekmark scored 15 points, Charnea Johnson-Chapman had 12 and Kianna Ibis added 11 to lead the Sun Devils, who trailed by as many as nine points in the third quarter. Ibis' back-to-back 3-pointers started ASU's final rally that was finished by Richardson.
SUN DEVIL WBB TO WEAR UNIFORMS CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH ON SUNDAY
In celebration of Black History Month, adidas unveiled a collection of NCAA uniforms inspired by the creativity, passion and expression of the early 20th century's Harlem Renaissance. Throughout the month of February, all adidas Power 5 conference NCAA men's and women's basketball teams will wear a head-to-toe uniform inspired by the ballrooms of that era. The Sun Devil women's basketball team will be wearing the uniforms for its Feb. 17 game vs. Utah.
Considered one of the most influential movements in African American history, the Harlem Renaissance was a creative movement that kindled a new cultural identity. In this era, the Renaissance ballroom became a place that epitomized basketball culture as local teams perfected their game on the same wooden floors that were also used for ballroom dance events and jazz shows. Together, the Harlem community infused their spirit of dance & sport within their day to day lives, and created an indisputable marriage between music, culture, and the game.
Inspired by the wooden floors of the ballrooms where basketball became culture, each adidas team jersey also includes patterns which mimic the fabrics and prints of the 1920s that became a means of self-expression and community pride. Each uniform features a unique bean stitch texture around the team name, the word "BALLROOM" on the inner waistband of each short, and a "Celebrating Black Culture" patch. The collection also includes a series corresponding footwear silhouettes which echo the colors of the jazz ballrooms so important to the era. Each detail is meant to be an homage to the art, poetry, sounds and sport of the Renaissance, and to those driving their passion forward.
LAST GAME
Kianna Ibis scored a game-high 18 points and came one rebound short of a double-double to help lead ASU to a 66-49 win over Colorado on Friday night. Courtney Ekmark (6-9 FGs) added 14 points for the Sun Devils. Ibis (nine rebounds), Sophia Elenga (four points, nine rebounds) and Charnea Johnson-Chapman (eight points, seven rebounds, three assists) helped ASU finish with advantages of plus-eight on the boards (42-34) and plus-11 in second-chance points (18-7). Reili Richardson, who came into the game No. 3 in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio, had seven points, six assists with no turnovers and moved into fourth place on ASU's all-time assists list (now has 400 in her career). Colorado became the third straight Sun Devil opponent to score less than 50 points. Colorado was also the fourth straight Sun Devil foe to shoot under 35 percent (34.7).
COVERAGE
Sunday's game can be seen on Pac-12 Network Arizona/Mountain (Cindy Brunson/Mary Murphy). It can also be heard on NBC Sports Radio AM 1060 and on the Sun Devil Sports Network's TuneIn Channel (pregame coverage will start at 1:30 p.m.). Veteran broadcaster and the state of Arizona's 2010 and 2018 Broadcaster of the Year Jeff Munn is in his 15th season as the voice of ASU women's basketball. He will be joined by former ASU head coach Maura McHugh.
RANKINGS/RPI/BRACKETOLGY
• After last week's win over Washington State, the Sun Devils moved up one spot for the second straight week to No. 19 in the AP poll and up one spot to No. 17 in the USA TODAY Sports Top 25 women's basketball coaches' poll.
• The Sun Devils have bounced between 13th and 18th in the NCAA RPI since defeating Utah on Jan. 4. They were listed at No. 16 on Feb. 16.
• ESPN.com's Charlie Creme has the Sun Devils listed as a No. 5 seed in his most recent Bracketology update (unchanged since Jan. 28). He previously had ASU as a No. 3 seed on Jan. 21.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
• As Feb. 16, ASU is ranked among the nation's top 30 in fewest TOs per game (12th/12.3), assist-TO ratio (15th/1.31), rebounding margin (23rd/+7.5) and scoring defense (29th/56.8 ppg - first in the Pac-12).
• The Sun Devils have won 84.0 percent of their games (77-15) at Wells Fargo Arena going back to the 2013-14 season.
• Senior All-Pac-12 post Kianna Ibis has scored in double figures in all but 2 games this season. In Pac-12 games she is among the top 15 in the league in scoring (17.6 ppg/11th), rebounds (7.6 rpg/10th) and FG pct. (48.6/12th). Ibis, who has scored 20 or more points six times this season, has averaged 19.7 ppg and 9.0 rpg in ASU's last three games.
• Currently No. 2 on the team in scoring (10.1 ppg), senior G Courtney Ekmark has knocked down 3 or more 3-pointers nine times this season.
• Junior G Reili Richardson is No. 3 in the nation and leads the Pac-12 in assist-to-TO ratio. Currently with 400 career assists, Richardson is in fourth place on ASU's all-time list for career assists. She needs 42 more for third place (442/Jodi Rathbun – 1983-86), 84 more for second place (483/Elisha Davis – 2013-16) and 135 to surpass current assistant coach Briann January (534/2006-09) for the top spot.
• ASU has held opposition to 12 or fewer points in a quarter 32x this season (single digits 18x) and outrebounded the opposition all but 3x (vs. Baylor/vs. Cal/vs. UCLA). It has given up an average of only 47.3 ppg in its last three games and allowed the opposition to shoot only 33.8 pct. in the last four games.
• ASU has had 6 different players lead/tie for the team lead in scoring: Kianna Ibis (12x), Courtney Ekmark (8x), Sophia Elenga (2x), Jamie Ruden (1x), Reili Richardson (1x) and Charnea Johnson-Chapman (1x).
• ASU has knocked down 8 or more 3-pointers 7x this season, something it accomplished 4x all last season.
• ASU has had 10 or fewer turnovers 7x this season.
• ASU's bench has more than doubled opponents in points per game, 24.3-12.0.
• ASU is 4-2 this season in games decided by five points or less. It prevailed in its first road game of the season at Arkansas 88-85 on Nov. 18. ASU came up short in its upset bid of No. 3 Louisville as the Cardinals made a basket in the final seconds to escape with a 58-56 win at the South Point Thanksgiving Shootout in Las Vegas (Nov. 23). ASU overcame a six-point deficit with an 8-0 run in the final 80 seconds of its 65-63 win at Utah (Jan. 4). ASU came up with a pair of defensive stops in the final seconds in its 62-61 win over Cal (Jan. 13). On Jan. 20 ASU went to double OT to upset then-No. 10 Oregon State, 79-76 in Corvallis. On Jan. 25 UCLA hit a 3-pointer with nine seconds left and the Sun Devils fell at home, 61-59.
• Although ASU is 1-4 in its five games against top 10 teams, each of the five contests was decided in the final minutes or OT. ASU nearly pulled off upsets over then-No. 4 Baylor (L, 59-65), then-No. 5 Louisville (L, 56-58), then-No. 6 Stanford (L, 55-62) and then-No. 5 Oregon (L, 71-77) losing the four games by a combined 21 points. On Jan. 20 ASU broke through with a 79-76 2OT win at then-No. 10 Oregon State.
NOTES VERSUS UTAH
• Each of the last three games have been decided by two points. ASU's eight-game winning streak over Utah was snapped after the Utes edged ASU 58-56 on Jan. 19, 2018 in Tempe. ASU won the front end of last season's series 83-81 in Salt Lake City. Kianna Ibis had one of the best offensive days turned in by a Sun Devil in recent memory as she scored a career-high 30 points. Ibis became the first Sun Devils to score 30 or more points since Kylan Loney accomplished the feat vs. Arizona on January 31, 2004.