WHEN: Sunday at 2 p.m. MST
WHERE: Desert Financial Arena • Tempe, Ariz.
TICKETS: Click here to purchase
TELEVISION: Pac-12 Network/Arizona/Oregon/Pac-12 Now
RADIO: KDUS AM 1060
LIVE AUDIO: Sun Devil Athletics TuneIn Channel
LIVE STATS: Click here
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For the second time in three days, the Arizona State women's basketball team will face one of the top five teams in the nation when it hosts No. 3 and unbeaten Oregon State (15-0, 3-0 Pac-12) on Sunday (2 p.m. MST) at Desert Financial Arena.
Coming off a 72-66 upset of No. 2 Oregon on Friday night, the Sun Devils have an opportunity to achieve one of the most improbable accomplishments for an unranked team: Defeat the No. 2 and No. 3 teams in the nation in successive games. In both cases it would be against teams that – by most estimations – were next in line to be the nation's new No. 1 team when the polls are revealed on Monday.
In Friday's win over the Ducks, Robbi Ryan scored 11 of her team-high 17 points and Reili Richardson scored 10 of her 12 points in the fourth quarter to help the Sun Devils outscore the Ducks 30-14 in the final period and overcome a 12-point deficit. For the Sun Devils, it was their first win over the nation's No. 2 team since they defeated Stanford 70-63 in the championship game of the inaugural Pac-10 Tournament in 2002.
Sunday's game concludes a stretch in which the Sun Devils will have played four Top 25 teams – No. 18 Arizona, No. 10 UCLA (now No. 8), No. 2 Oregon and No. 3 Oregon State – in their first five conference games. ASU started the sequence with a 58-53 loss to Arizona (Dec. 30), which snapped ASU's season-best six-game winning streak. The Sun Devils followed that with a 68-66 loss at UCLA on Jan. 3. In both contests ASU was within two or fewer points in the final minute. ASU rebounded win a 63-54 win at USC last Sunday to pick up its first Pac-12 win.
ASU's success this season has been the product of a team effort as the Sun Devils have had eight different players who have led/tied for the team lead in scoring. As has been the case in years past, the Sun Devils have been especially effective both on the defensive end (29th in the nation in scoring defense) and at controlling the boards (3rd in the nation in offensive rebounds and 12th in rebounding margin).
Oregon State (15-0, 3-0 Pac-12) enters Sunday's game as one of only two unbeaten teams in the nation (fellow Pac-12 school and No. 8 UCLA is 15-0). The Beavers remained perfect after coming away with a 63-61 win at No. 18 Arizona on Friday. The Beavers are ranked among the top 10 in the nation in several statistical categories including field goal percentage (4th), rebounds per game (4th), rebound margin (4th), assists per game (7th) and field goal percentage defense (8th).
COVERAGE
Sunday's game vs. Oregon State will be televised by Pac-12 Network/Arizona/Oregon (Cindy Brunson, Tammy Blackburn). The game can also be heard on KDUS AM 1060 and the Sun Devil Athletics TuneIn Channel. Coverage will start at 1:30 p.m. Veteran broadcaster and the state of Arizona's 2010 and 2019 Broadcaster of the Year Jeff Munn is in his 16th season as the voice of ASU women's basketball. He will be joined by former Sun Devil head coach Maura McHugh.
SERIES NOTES VERSUS OREGON STATE
ASU has won 25 of its last 34 and three in a row against OSU, but the Beavers have gotten the better of it in recent years with wins in seven of the last 10 meetings. ASU's 57-51 win in the 2018 Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals snapped OSU's streak of seven straight wins. Robbi Ryan (12 points, 4-8 FGs/4-4 FTs) and former Sun Devils Courtney Ekmark (game-high 18 points, 5-7 3-point FGs) and Kianna Ibis (14 points, career-high 14 rebounds) combined to score 44 of ASU's 57 points in the win. Last year ASU swept Oregon State for the first time since 2011 and became the first Pac-12 team to accomplish the feat since 2013 after defeating OSU 79-76 (2OT) in Corvallis and 66-54 in Tempe. Ibis (24.0. ppg vs. OSU last season) averaged 18.5 points and made 94 percent of her FGs (15-16) in the second half and OT of the two wins.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
• The Sun Devils come into Friday's game ranked among the top 40 in the nation in offensive rebounds per game (3rd/17.5 rpg), rebound margin (12th/+10.9) and scoring defense (29th/55.9).
• ASU is ranked among the top third in the Pac-12 in offensive rebounds per game (1st/17.8 rpg), rebounding defense (2nd/31.8 rpg), rebounding margin (3rd/+10.9), steals (3rd/10.2 spg) and scoring defense (4th/55.9 ppg), 3-point FG pct. defense (4th/27.2), turnover margin (4th/+3.8).
• ASU individual leaders in the Pac-12: Ja'Tavia Tapley: 9th in rebs/7.2 rpg, 10th in FT pct./65.2, 19th in scoring/11.8 ppg; Reili Richardson: 18th in the nation and 4th in the Pac-12 in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.7); 15th in assists (3.3 apg), Jayde Van Hyfte: 2nd in offensive rebs/3.6 rpg, 18th in rebs/6.2 rpg; Eboni Walker: 6th in offensive rebs/2.8 rpg; Kiara Russell: 12th in steals (1.5 spg).
• On average, ASU's bench has outscored the opponent's reserves 28.6-9.1. Walker is averaging 7.9 points and shooting 63 percent (24-38 FGs) in ASU's last six games and Ruden is averaging 7.4 ppg in the five games she's played since returning from injury.
• ASU has outrebounded all but two of its opponents (USC, Oregon). It has scored 15 or more second chance points six times, including a season-high 32 vs. Army. Van Hyfte (57 of 99) and Walker (44 of 70) both have more offensive than defensive rebounds.
• In its last six games, ASU has averaged 10.7 turnovers per game, 5.2 fewer turnovers than it averaged in its first 10 games (15.9). Reili Richardson (23 A, 7 TO), Kiara Russell (17 A, 8 TO), and Iris Mbulito (18 A, 6 TO) have combined for 58 assists and only 21 turnovers in the last six games.
• Through four games of Pac-12 play ASU is shooting more than nine percentage points higher from the FT line (74.5) than it did in the first 12 games (65.3).
• Robbi Ryan has scored a season-high 17 points twice in ASU's last three games.
• Richardson is currently in 2nd place on ASU's all-time list for career assists (508). She needs 27 assists to pass Briann January and become ASU's all-time assists leader (534/2006-09).
• ASU has allowed 13 or fewer points in quarter 30x (13x in single-digits).
• ASU has scored 20 or more points off turnovers eight times (8-0 in those games), including a season-high 36 vs. Army (Nov. 10).
• Graduate transfer Ja'Tavia Tapley has proven to be a dominant presence thus far. She has played in every game (14 starts) and currently leads the team in scoring (11.8 ppg), rebounds (7.2) and free throws made (41) and attempted (63), is 2nd in steals (1.4 spg), 3rd in FG pct. (48.7) and 4th in assists (1.7 apg).
• With senior post Jamie Ruden's return from injury in ASU's contest vs. Creighton (Dec. 20), Charli Turner Thorne had every player on ASU's roster available to play for the first time this season. After starting the first two games, Ruden missed ASU's next nine games, including its losses at Minnesota and vs. Purdue. Senior guards Kiara Russell (three games) and Robbi Ryan (1.5 games) and sophomore guard Jamie Loera (13 games) have also missed time due to either injury or illness.