TEMPE, Ariz. – Trailing by as many as 15 points early in the third quarter, the Sun Devil women's basketball team fought back to get within two points before No. 21 Colorado pulled away in the final three minutes to escape Desert Financial Arena with a 70-62 win.
Tyi Skinner had a game-high 27 points – two points short of tying her single-game career high and the most points scored vs. Colorado this season – and tied her career high for the second straight game with four steals.
20 pt game for Tyi!#ForksUp /// #O2V pic.twitter.com/GUCksxBr4e
— Sun Devil WBB (@SunDevilWBB) February 17, 2023
Jaddan Simmons finished with 11 points, her 10th consecutive game scoring in double figures, while Treasure Hunt added 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds in ASU's near upset of the Buffaloes, who remained one game behind the two teams currently tied for first place in the Pac-12: No. 3 Stanford (24-3, 12-2) and No. 4 Utah (22-2, 12-2). The Sun Devils (7-17, 0-15) face the Utes in their final home game of the season on Sunday.
SUN DEVIL TOP SEASON POINTS PER GAME
21.3 -- Kym Hampton, 1981-82
20.2 -- Kym Hampton 20.2, 1983-84
19.5 -- Karen O'Connor, 1988-89
19.3 -- Tyi Skinner, 2022-23
19.2 -- Olivia Jones, 1982-83
18.9 -- Kym Hampton 1982-83
Skinner scored half of ASU's 20 points in the opening frame, the seventh time this season the Sun Devils have scored 20 or more points in the first 10 minutes. Each team led by as many as four points. After Colorado's Jaylyn Sherrod's was simultaneously tagged with a personal foul and a technical foul, Skinner made four straight free throws to tie the game at 19-19 with 1:13 remaining. The Buffaloes would eventually take a 21-20 lead to the second quarter.
The Buffaloes used an 11-2 run to take a nine-point lead with five minutes left in the half. Another Colorado scoring burst, this one 9-2, started in the final minutes of the second quarter and the opening minute of the third quarter to give CU its biggest lead of the game, 46-31.
Isadora Sousa, Hunt, Simmons and Skinner all contributed to the ensuing 10-0 run by the Sun Devils that cut CU's lead to five after Skinner's two free throws with 2:57 remaining.
The Buffaloes would build their lead back up to double digits, 58-48, in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter.
Simmons' jumper with just over seven minutes left ignited a 12-4 response by the Sun Devils. Kayla Mokwuah's layup with 3:22 remaining pulled ASU within two points 62-60.
Unfortunately for the Sun Devils, the Buffaloes scored eight of game's last 10 points, to prevent ASU from pulling off the upset.
For the fifth time this season, ASU forced a season-high 20 turnovers. Equally impressive is the fact all five instances have come in ASU's last nine games.
Friday's contest vs. Colorado was the Sun Devil Women's Basketball's annual Sparky's Kids to College Field Trip Game. The program provides students, chaperones and bus drivers FREE tickets for a one-of-a-kind Sun Devil women's basketball experience that integrates classroom activities through an education workbook with practical applications with the pageantry and excitement of a college basketball game. The age-appropriate lessons incorporate State of Arizona standards for math, reading and writing while familiarizing students with the Sun Devils and Arizona State University.
The Sun Devils conclude the home portion of their 2022-23 schedule on Sunday (12 p.m. MST) when they face No. 4 Utah. Sunday's game will be Senior Day and the program's annual Pink Game for Breast Cancer Awareness. The program will honor senior Isadora Sousa and graduate student Kayla Mokwuah prior to the game. Click here to purchase tickets.
MOST POINTS BY A SUN DEVIL SINCE 2012-13 (SINGLE SEASON):
465, Kianna Ibis, 2018-19
464** Tyi Skinner, 2022-23
451, Kianna Ibis, 2017-18
448, Sophie Brunner, 2016-17
420, Katie Hempen, 2014-15
415, Jade Loville, 2021-22
415, Sophie Brunner, 2014-15
383, Promise Amukamara, 2014-15
366, Deja Mann, 2013-14
359, Ja'tavia Tapley, 2019-20
358, Robbi Ryan, 2017-18
344, Janae Fulcher, 2012-13
343, Quinn Dornstauder, 2016-17
339, Courtney Ekmark (twice), 2017-18 & 2018-19
318, Robbi Ryan, 2019-20
309, Relli Richardson, 2019-20
303, Taya Hanson, 2020-21
Skinner's 27 point effort was her 13th game this scoring at least 20 points this season, and the third time in the last four games.
29 vs. Missouri (Dec. 4, 2022)
29 at Grand Canyon (Nov. 30, 2022)
28 at UCLA (Feb. 5, 2023)
27 vs. Colorado (Feb. 17, 2023)
26 at Arizona (Dec. 29, 2022)
24 vs. American at Goombay Splash (Nov. 25, 2022)
24 at New Mexico (Nov. 20, 2022)
24 at Montana State (Nov. 14, 2022)
23 vs. Stanford (Feb. 12, 2023)
22 vs. Oregon State (Jan. 8, 2023)
22 at Stephen F. Austin (Dec. 11, 2022)
21 at Stanford (Dec. 31, 2022)
20 vs. Oregon (Jan. 6, 2023)
COMING OUT HOT
25, at Montana State, 11/15/22
24, at New Mexico, 11/20/22
23, vs. Northern Arizona, 11/17/22
21, vs. Colorado, 02/17/23
20, vs. California, 02/10/23
20, at California, 01/02/23
20, at Grand Canyon, 11/30/22
FORCING 20+ TURNOVERS IN A GAME THIS SEASON20, vs. Colorado, 02/17/23
20, vs. California, 02/10/23
20, vs. Washington, 01/29/23
20, vs. Washington St, 01/27/23
20, vs. Oregon St, 01/18/23
QUOTESArizona State Head Coach Natasha Adair:
Opening Statement:
"Again another gutty effort by our group. As I continue to tell people we're going to fight. THis is a gorup that you're not going to see hang their head. Every game their coming out and competing to win, not hoping to win, not wishing to win and there were moments today that I was super proud of our effort and our toughness and we talked about a lot of things in prep. We executed scout in so many ways and we just talked to them about moments in the game. If it's those three baskets if it's a 3 or if it's a layup and just because of the parody of this league, every possession matters. THey're are a couple that we know we want to get back, but this group is going to continue to get better and continue growing. We know because we see it everyday and they do it everyday that they're coming in with a winning mindset with the mindset of working to get better. It's going to shift for this group."
On limiting center Quay Miller:
"That was the game plan, she's one of their key players and you could see we were bringing the double team and in moments where we just had a height disadvantage in some areas. So it was single coverage versus when we're gonna bring the double and we will adjust in scout, we will adjust how the game is going. Our players do a phenomenal job, we had some players playing out of position but still making sure that they were where they were supposed to be but that's just the flexibility of this group and the fact that we trust in multiple positions. But Quay is a solid player, she's that matchup nightmare because she's a pick and pop inside and out, but I thought in the second half we were way more physical and we were on time with our reads, with our traps, it made it a little harder for her."
On team push in third quarter:
"Well, we talk about it. This is a group that we are pretty transparent as a staff and they are locked in as players and I go in and first ask them what they talked about because it's important for them to communicate and they communicate effectively to one another. Then we just key in on what we need to work on, their later cuts afterwards were getting us in that first half. We had to talk about how we were guarding them, what were the adjustments that we were gonna make. They didn't get those in the second half and so as coach that's the players listening and adjusting there. But it was just talking about whatever adjustments that need to be made and they respond and so we had been talking about the third. But at the end of the day, we're talking about 40 minutes and so we don't wanna focus on first, second, third or fourth, we want to focus on 40 and today we said it was 35, it was 34 minutes. So we gotta put together 40 full minutes and so we're seeing different contributions which is really good and now we just have to be more consistent and not have those lows at any point in the game."
On what goes through her head before gamedays:
"I'm just doing what I can to help my team win. I just want to play my best because I know my teammates trust me taking shots. I try to stay locked in and make the shots when they count. It's just to get my teammates going.
Arizona State Guard Sydney Erikstrup:
On the crowd:
"We want to win more than anything, and having the fans is just an added bonus I think. It's the energy in the environment that gets us excited and we feed off of it. It's awesome to have them here."