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 Washington/Pac-12 Now
RADIO: KDUS AM 1060
LIVE AUDIO: Sun Devil Athletics TuneIn Channel
LIVE STATS: Click here
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The No. 22 Arizona State women's basketball team will look to complete a season sweep of the Washington schools when it hosts the Washington Huskies on Sunday (noon MST) at Desert Financial Arena.
ASU ended a three-game losing streak – all against Top 10 opponents – with a 62-59 win over Washington State on Friday. Senior Reili Richardson scored 13 of her team-high 22 points in the fourth quarter to help ASU pull out a game in which there were two ties and seven lead changes in the final frame. Ja'Tavia Tapley had 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting, Robbi Ryan added 10 and Eboni Walker went 4-of-5 for the second straight game (nine points) for the Sun Devils, who shot 88 percent (7-8 FGs) in the fourth quarter. Richardson, who scored all 11 of her points in the fourth quarter of ASU's comeback win at WSU on Jan. 19, also added five rebounds and five assists. Now with 533 career assists, Richardson needs six assists to break former Sun Devil Briann January's school record of 538 assists.
Friday's game began a stretch in which ASU is playing four of its final six games at Desert Financial Arena where it is 11-2 this season.
ASU's win over WSU combined with No. 11 Oregon State's loss at USC on Friday enabled the Sun Devils (17-8, 7-6 Pac-12) to move into a tie for fifth place with the Beavers (19-6, 7-6). ASU and OSU lead Utah (12-12, 5-8) and USC 13-11 (5-8), who are tied for seventh place, by two games. Both ASU and OSU trail No. 12/fourth-place Arizona (20-4, 9-4) by two games, No. 7/third-place UCLA (21-3, 10-3) by three games and No. 8/second-place Stanford (22-3, 11-2) by four games. No 3 Oregon (23-2, 12-1) currently sits atop the Pac-12 standings. The top four finishers in regular season league play will earn first round byes for next month's Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas.
Sunday's game is a rematch of ASU's 67-50 win over Washington on Jan. 17 in Seattle. Tapley scored a game-high 15 points, Jamie Ruden added 10 and fellow seniors Richardson (nine points) and Ryan (eight points) combined for 17 points for ASU. The Huskies shot only 33 percent for the game and were forced into 18 turnovers which resulted in 20 Sun Devil points.
Sunday's game vs. Washington will be the last of ASU's Pac-12 rematches in the regular season. Each of its next four opponents – at Colorado (Feb. 21), at Utah (Feb. 23), vs. Cal (Feb. 28) and vs. No. 8 Stanford (Mar. 1) – will be first-time foes this season.
TV/RADIO
Sunday's game vs. Washington will be televised by Pac-12 Washington (Ann Schatz, Mary Murphy). 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.
SUN DEVIL WBB TO WEAR UNIFORMS CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH ON SUNDAY
In celebration of Black History Month, the Sun Devil women's basketball team will be wearing uniforms on Sunday inspired by the creativity, passion and expression of the early 20th century's Harlem Renaissance.
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.
SERIES NOTES VERSUS WASHINGTON – ASU LEADS 34-31 SINCE 1979-80
The Sun Devils have dominated of late having won 23 of the last 30 meetings, including 21 of the last 26. The two teams played only once in 2014 (ASU W 78-60 in Seattle) and 2015 (ASU W 62-48 in Tempe). ASU swept the season series in 2015-16, winning 68-61 in Seattle and 77-57 in Tempe. The Huskies were victorious in both contests in 2016-17: 65-54 in Tempe and 70-57 in Seattle. The Sun Devils claimed the only meeting in 2018, 61-41 in Tempe. Last year the teams had their contest canceled by a snowstorm in Seattle that prevented ASU from making the trip.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
• ASU needs three more wins for its seventh consecutive 20-win season.
• Five of ASU's six Pac-12 losses (79-48 loss at Oregon on Feb. 9 not included) have been by an average of 4.8 points. Two of those losses were two-point setbacks on the road: 68-66 at then-unbeaten and No. 10 UCLA on Jan. 3 and 64-62 at then-No. 9 Oregon State on Feb. 2.
• Senior Reili Richardson is currently in second place on ASU's all-time list for career assists (533). She needs six assists to pass former Sun Devil great Briann January (538/2006-09) as ASU's all-time assists leader.
• Seven of Richardson's 10 double-digit scoring efforts this season have come in the last 10 games. The stretch includes a career-high 24-point performance vs. USC (Jan. 31) in which Richardson scored 19 points in the second half and overtime – including the game-winning 3-pointer – in ASU's triple overtime win over the Trojans that gave head coach Charli Turner Thorne the 500th coaching win of her career. Richardson is shooting 91 percent from the line (38-42) in Pac-12 play.
• Ten of senior G Robbi Ryan's 13 double-digit scoring games this season have come in the last 14 games. She has scored 17 or more points 5x during that sequence, including a career-high 25 points at Arizona (Jan. 24), the most points scored by an individual against Arizona this season.
• ASU is currently ranked among the top 40 in the nation in O-rebs per game (10th/15.8 rpg) and rebound margin (30th/+7.8). Richardson is No. 23 in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio.
• Graduate transfer Ja'Tavia Tapley has proven to be a difference maker for ASU. Named the Ann Meyers Drysdale/espnW/Pac-12 Player of the Week last month, Tapley has played in every game (23 starts) and currently leads the team in scoring (11.6 ppg), rebounds (6.6) and free throws
made (55) and attempted (89), is 2nd in steals (1.2 spg), FG pct. (48.3) and minutes (24.1) and 4th in assists (1.6 apg).
• On average, ASU's bench has outscored the opponent's reserves 24.5-9.4. Top contributors include: Sr. F Jamie Ruden, who has averaged 6.4 ppg since returning from injury, Fr. F Eboni Walker (6.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg), Fr. G Sara Bejedi (4.3 ppg), So. G Iris Mbulito (3.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.3 apg) and So. G Taya Hanson (3.6 ppg). Walker is shooting 83 percent (10-12 FGs) from the floor in the last 3 games. She is the only Sun Devil shooting higher than 50 percent (55.9) in Pac-12 play.
• ASU has outrebounded the opposition in all but five games: at USC, vs. Oregon, vs. Oregon St., at Arizona, at Oregon. It has scored 15 or more second chance points eight times, including a season-high 32 vs. Army. Jayde Van Hyfte (80 of 140) and Walker (70 of 115) both have more offensive than defensive rebounds.
• The Sun Devils have had 15 or fewer turnovers 10x in their last 13 games. The exceptions were their contests vs. USC (26), vs. UCLA (16), at Oregon (18).
• ASU has allowed 13 or fewer points in a quarter 46x (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).