WHEN: Sunday at 2 p.m. PT/3 p.m. MT
WHERE: Galen Center • Los Angeles
TELEVISION: Pac-12 Arizona/Los Angeles/Pac-12 Now
RADIO: KDUS AM 1060
LIVE AUDIO: Sun Devil Athletics TuneIn Channel
LIVE STATS: Click here
UP NEXT
The Arizona State women's basketball team (10-4, 0-2 Pac-12) will look for a split on its road trip to Los Angeles when it plays at USC on Sunday (2 p.m. PT/3 p.m. MT).
The Sun Devils are in the middle of the stretch in which they are facing four ranked opponents in the first five games of conference play. ASU started the stretch with a 58-53 loss to No. 18 Arizona (Dec. 30) – which snapped ASU's season-best six-game winning streak – last Sunday and was edged by No. 10 UCLA 68-66 on Friday night. After Sunday's game, ASU will return home to face No. 2 Oregon (11-1) and No. 3 Oregon State (13-0).
In Friday's game, senior guard Robbi Ryan scored a season-high 17 points and tied her career high with a trio of 3-pointers for the Sun Devils, who fought their way back from an early 11-point deficit to eventually take the lead by shooting 63 percent in the second and third quarters. Ja'Tavia Tapley added 10 points and Kiara Russell had nine points and a game-high six assists while Eboni Walker (eight points, team-high two steals), Sara Bejedi (eight points) and Taya Hanson (seven points) came off the bench to combine for 23 points.
Despite the loss of key contributors to graduation/injury ASU was able to navigate its way to a 10-2 non-conference record. ASU closed non-conference play with six wins in a row, including a double-digit triumph over Creighton (70-55), which came into the game ranked No. 7 in the NCAA RPI.
ASU's success in non-conference play was the product of a team effort as the Sun Devils had seven different players who led or tied for the team high in scoring. During its recent six-game winning streak, they had seven players averaging between 6.3 - 10.7 ppg. And that does not include senior post Jamie Ruden, who scored 11 points in ASU's contest against Creighton, Ruden's first game back after missing nine games due to injury. As has been the case in years past, the Sun Devils have been especially effective both on the defensive end (28th in the nation in scoring defense) and at controlling the boards (third in the nation in offensive rebounds and fifth in rebounding margin).
Like ASU, USC (8-5, 0-2) has started out with losses in its first two Pac-12 games. Also like the Sun Devils, both of USC's losses have come to UCLA and Arizona.
COVERAGE
Sunday's game at USC will be televised by Pac-12 Arizona/Los Angeles (Brian Webber, Tammy Blackburn). The game can also be heard on KDUS AM 1060 and the Sun Devil Athletics TuneIn Channel. Pregame coverage will start at 2:30 p.m. MT. 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.
SERIES NOTES/CONNECTIONS VERSUS USC
ASU has prevailed in six of the last nine meetings with five of those contests coming down to the final minute or OT. In 2015 ASU had to go to double OT before coming away with a 76-73 win in Los Angeles. In 2016 Sophie Brunner converted a 3-point play with 1.4 secs remaining to lift the Sun Devils to a 69-68 win in Tempe. In the rematch in Los Angeles, ASU denied USC's attempts to tie the score twice in the final 32 secs in ASU's 50-45 win. The two teams split the season series in 2017 with each squad holding serve on its home floor: USC 65-50 in Los Angles and ASU 69-62 in Tempe. In the only meeting of 2018, USC outscored ASU 24-14 in the final quarter on its way to a 77-62 win in Los Angeles... ASU's bench scored 31 points in last year's 68-61 win in Tempe... Current Sun Devil senior forward Ja'Tavia Tapley transferred to ASU from USC last spring.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
• Over the last two seasons, the Sun Devils are 11-2 when coming off a loss. The only time ASU lost consecutive games last season was on trip to the Bay Area where it fell at Cal (69-60) and at Stanford (71-50). The most recent instance came Friday night when the Sun Devils fell at No. 10 UCLA after dropping its Pac-12 opener to No. 18 Arizona.
• The Sun Devils come into Sunday's game ranked among the top 40 in the nation in offensive rebounds per game (3rd/18.1 rpg), rebound margin (6th/+13.1) and scoring defense (28th/55.3).
• ASU is ranked among the top third in the Pac-12 in rebounding defense (1st/30.9 rpg), offensive rebounds per game (1st/18.1 rpg), rebounding margin (2nd/+13.1) and steals (4th/10.2 spg).
• ASU individual leaders in the Pac-12: Ja'Tavia Tapley: 8th in rebs/7.5 rpg, 10th in FT pct./63.6, 18th in scoring/11.9 ppg; Reili Richardson: 21st in the nation and 5th in the Pac-12 in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.7); Jayde Van Hyfte: 2nd in offensive rebs/3.5 rpg, 18th in rebs/6.4 rpg; Eboni Walker: 5th in offensive rebs/3.0 rpg; Kiara Russell: 14th in steals (1.5 spg).
• On average, ASU's bench has outscored the opponent's reserves 28.7-9.1 Eboni Walker (8.0 ppg), Sara Bejedi (6.3 ppg) and Iris Mbulito (4.5 ppg) combined to average 18.8 ppg during ASU's recent six-game winning streak. Walker is averaging 9.4 points and shooting 69 percent (18-26 FGs) in ASU's last five games. That stretch includes a career-high 13 points at New Mexico State (Dec. 18) and a 12-point, career-high eight-rebound effort vs. Arizona (Dec. 30).
• ASU has outrebounded all 14 of its opponents. It has scored 15 or more second chance points five times, including a season-high 32 vs. Army.
• ASU has allowed 13 or fewer points in quarter 26x (13x in single-digits).
• Graduate transfer Ja'Tavia Tapley has proven to be a dominant presence thus far. She has played in every game (12 starts) and currently leads the team in scoring (11.9 ppg), rebounds (7.5) and free throws made (35) and attempted (55), is 2nd in steals (1.4 spg) and FG pct. (50.0) and 4th in assists (1.7 apg). Tapley, who had a streak of three straight double-doubles last month, pulled down a career-high 18 rebounds in ASU's win over BYU (Dec. 6), the highest single-game rebound total in more than 20 years.
• Senior guard Reili Richardson is currently in 2nd place on ASU's all-time list for career assists (501). She needs 35 assists to pass Briann January and become ASU's all-time assists leader (534/2006-09). During ASU's recent six-game winning streak, Richardson averaged 10.3 ppg & connected on 42 percent (14-33) of her 3-ptrs.
• 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 (two games) and Robbi Ryan (1.5 games) and sophomore guard Jamie Loera (10 games) also missed time due to either injury or illness.