WHEN: Sunday at 12 p.m. MST
WHERE: Desert Financial Arena • Tempe, Ariz. (Click for DFA traffic information)
TICKETS: Click here to purchase
TELEVISION: Pac-12 Network/Los Angeles/Pac-12 Now
RADIO: KDUS AM 1060
LIVE AUDIO: Sun Devil Athletics TuneIn Channel
LIVE STATS: Click here
UP NEXT
The No. 19 Arizona State women's basketball team will be seeking its third win over a Top 10 opponent when it hosts No. 8 UCLA in a Super Sunday (12 p.m. MST) matchup at Desert Financial Arena.
Winners of six of their last seven games, the Sun Devils are coming off a 76-75 win over USC on Friday in the program's first ever triple OT game. Senior guard Reili Richardson scored 19 of her career-high 24 points in the second half and overtime, including the game-winning 3-pointer, to give ASU head coach Charli Turner Thorne the 500th win of her career.
The Sun Devils (16-5, 6-3 Pac-12) come into Sunday's game tied for fourth place in the Pac-12 with No. 16 Arizona (17-3, 6-3). Both teams lead No. 10/fifth-place Oregon State (18-4, 6-4) by one-half game and trail No. 8/third-place UCLA (18-2, 7-2) by one game. No. 3 Oregon (19-2, 9-1) and No. 6 Stanford (19-2, 8-1) currently lead the way.
For ASU, Sunday's game vs. UCLA will be the first of three consecutive assignments against Top 10 opponents. Next week the Sun Devils will travel north for rematches against No. 3 Oregon and No. 10 Oregon State. Last month the Sun Devils made history when they became the first unranked team to post consecutive wins against Top 5 teams when they knocked off No. 2 Oregon (72-66) and No. 3 Oregon State (55-47) in Tempe.
Sunday's game is a rematch of last month's down-to-the-wire affair won by UCLA 68-66 in Los Angeles. Senior guard Robbi Ryan scored 17 points 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. UCLA's success shooting from long range ended up being one of the deciding factors as the Bruins were able to knock down 11 triples. Just as significant was UCLA's efficiency from behind the 3-point line as it was able to hit 52 percent of its attempts. On the flip side, the Bruins hit only 33 percent of their shots from inside the arc.
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 (27th in the nation in scoring defense) and at controlling the boards (7th in the nation in offensive rebounds and 17th in rebounding margin).
TV/RADIO
Sunday's game vs. UCLA will be televised by Pac-12 Network/Los Angeles (Cindy Brunson, Maylana Martin Douglas). The game can also be heard on KDUS AM 1060 and on the Sun Devil Athletics TuneIn Channel. Pregame coverage will start at 11:30 a.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 UCLA
UCLA has won the last eight meetings. The two teams met only once in the regular season each of the last two seasons with UCLA winning 71-63 in 2018 in LA and 61-59 last year in Tempe. UCLA also claimed a 73-69 win in the Pac-12 Tourney quarterfinals last March. ASU's 59-57 win in 2014 in Tempe snapped UCLA's eight-game winning streak in the series. ASU captured its second consecutive win in 2015 with a 68-56 win in LA. The two teams split in 2016 with the home team holding serve on its home court: ASU 65-61 in Tempe/UCLA 74-61 in LA. UCLA swept the season series in 2017 – 69-60 in LA and 55-52 in Tempe – and captured a third win in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tourney (77-68). First-year ASU assistant coach Nikki Blue had a decorated career at UCLA where she earned Pac-10 first-team honors four times and was named a WBCA All-American in 2006.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
• In the last 8 games, senior G Robbi Ryan is averaging 14.5 ppg and is shooting 40 percent from beyond the arc (12-30). She has scored 17 or more points 4x, including a career-high 25 points at Arizona (Jan. 24). Seven of Ryan's 10 double-digit scoring efforts this season have come in the last 10 games.
• In her last 11 games, starting PG Kiara Russell has 32 assists and only 12 turnovers and has averaged 5.8 rebs, including a career-high 8 rebs twice. She has also shot 47 percent during that stretch.
• ASU is currently ranked among the top 40 in the nation in O-rebs per game (7th/16.5 rpg), reb margin (17th/+8.9), 3-point FG pct. defense, scoring defense (27th/56.2 ppg) and (36th/27.5). G Reili Richardson is No. 17 in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.5).
• ASU is ranked among the top third in the Pac-12 in O-rebs per game (2nd/16.5 rpg), 3-point FG pct. defense (3rd/27.5), scoring defense (3rd/56.2 ppg), rebounding defense (3rd/33.2 rpg), reb margin (3rd/+8.9), turnover margin (4th/+34) and steals (4th/9.7 spg).
• ASU individual leaders in the Pac-12: F Ja'Tavia Tapley: 11th in rebs/6.8 rpg; F Jayde Van Hyfte: 3rd in O-rebs/3.5 rpg; G Reili Richardson: 15th in assists/3.0 apg, 4th in assist-to-TO ratio (2.5); F Eboni Walker: 5th in O-rebs/3.0 rpg; G Kiara Russell: 8th in steals (1.6 spg).
• Graduate transfer Tapley has proven to be a difference maker for ASU. Named the Ann Meyers Drysdale/espnW/Pac-12 Player of the Week earlier last month, Tapley has played in every game (19 starts) and currently leads the team in scoring (12.0 ppg), rebounds (6.8) and free throws made (54) and attempted (83), is 2nd in steals (1.4 spg), 3rd in FG pct. (47.6) and 4th in assists (1.5 apg).
• Richardson is currently in 2nd place on ASU's all-time list for career assists (519). She needs 16 assists to pass Briann January (534/2006-09).
• On average, ASU's bench has outscored the opponent's reserves 25.4-8.8. Top contributors include: Sr. F Jamie Ruden, who has averaged 6.1 ppg since returning from injury, Fr. F Eboni Walker (6.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg), Fr. G Sara Bejedi (4.6 ppg), So. G Taya Hanson (4.2 ppg), and So. G Iris Mbulito (4.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.3 apg).
• ASU has outrebounded all but four of its opponents (at USC, vs. Oregon, vs. Oregon St., at Arizona). It has scored 15 or more second chance points eight times, including a season-high 32 vs. Army. Van Hyfte (73 of 123) and Walker (62 of 102) both have more offensive than defensive rebounds.
• ASU has allowed 13 or fewer points in quarter 41x (16x in single-digits).
• ASU has scored 20 or more points off turnovers nine times (9-0 in those games), including a season-high 36 vs. Army (Nov. 10).
• The Sun Devils had a season-high 26 turnovers in Friday's win over USC. In the 10 games prior, ASU averaged 11.2 turnovers per game, 4.7 fewer turnovers than it averaged in its first 10 games (15.9).