TEMPE, Ariz. – Despite a career game from Sydney Erikstrup, ASU women's basketball fell to No. 4 Utah 74-69 on Senior Day.
Erikstrup's first career double-double came on career-highs of 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Syd draws a pair from the line, bringing her to a new career high of 12 points! ??#ForksUp /// #O2V pic.twitter.com/rM4JpItLkN
— Sun Devil WBB (@SunDevilWBB) February 19, 2023
The game was the program's annual Pink Game for Breast Cancer Awareness. Senior Isadora Sousa and graduate student Kayla Mokwuah were recognized prior to Sunday's game as part of Senior Night.
The Sun Devils (7-18, 0-16, Pac-12) came out hot from the jump, going on a 9-0 run in the first 2:52 of the game. They forced the Utes (23-3, 13-3 Pac-12) to five turnovers in its first seven possessions with high pressure in the full-court.
Kayla Mokwuah scored eight of her 11 points in the opening quarter, the most she's scored in the first quarter all season.
COMING OUT HOT
Games this season where ASU has scored 20+ in the First Quarter:
25, at Montana State, 11/15/22
24, at New Mexico, 11/20/22
23, vs. Utah, 02/19/23
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
The Sun Devils continued its defensive intensity, forcing Utah to go 1-of-9 from the field in the first 5:05 of the second quarter. The Utes used a 8-1 run to take its first lead of the game with 2:19 left in the quarter and secured a 31-29 halftime lead.
Tyi Skinner's three-pointer with 17.1 seconds left in the third quarter propelled her into the top 10 most points in a single season in ASU history.
SHOWTYIME3333
— Sun Devil WBB (@SunDevilWBB) February 19, 2023
??https://t.co/b7iqOTE01H @ShowTim3_Tyi /// #ForksUp pic.twitter.com/DKlOJHuJBL
MOST SINGLE-SEASON POINTS IN ASU HISTORY
683 – Kym Hampton, 1981-82
576 – Olivia Jones, 1982-83
568 – Kym Hampton, 1982-83
565 – Kym Hampton, 1980-81
550 – Amanda Levens, 2001-02
545 – Kym Hampton, 1983-84
545 – Karen O'Connor, 1988-89
496 – Cassandra Lender, 1980-81
471 – Tyi Skinner, 2022-23
471 – Shamona Mosley, 1987-88
470 – Amanda Levens, 2000-01
After trailing by a point heading into the final quarter, both teams went back and forth with three lead changes in the first 3:02 of the quarter. Utah led by no more than four points in the quarter until there were just 40 seconds left.
Notables
Jaddan Simmons tied a season-high with six assists.
Before today's game, Utah was tenth amongst Power-Six schools with a 49.1% field goal percentage. The Sun Devils held them to 44.2% from the floor.
Additionally, the Sun Devils held them to 74 points, way under its average of 84.7, which is the fourth-most amongst Power-Six teams.
Arizona State Women's Basketball Head Coach Natasha Adair
Opening Statement:
"First, I want to start by thanking our seniors. This night is always bittersweet for them. And Izzy (Sousa) and Kayla (Mokwuah) aren't just seniors for our program. They are unsung heroes, they are leaders, they are big sisters. They're the calming voice when we need it. You look to them as really good examples, great ambassadors, not only for our program but our university and community. And I'm grateful to them and thankful for them both. And I just wanted to publicly shout them out before I started talking about today's game. This is a tough one. We just talked to the team about the little things in these games, and the parody is so close. And it could be one-stop, it could be that one shot, it could be free throws, I mean, they went 31 times, and that for sure was a stat. But we still missed them, we went 22 times. We make our free throws and the game could be different. And so those are just opportunities that we talk about: winning opportunities winning plays, we get the stop, they get boards. You know, those are momentum shifts. But I keep telling you guys, they're fighting. I keep telling you guys, each game, lord knows it just gets closer and closer. I'm ready for it to be done being close and I know they are. But I've watched each one of these players grow … to have Syd (Erikstrup) sitting next to me … we talked about Syd, early on, and her role, and to be everything that we need. And today, she rebounded for us, because that's something that we've been talking about. And those rebounds gave our team a spark. She knocked down her three-ball and had a double-double. And that's the energy, the effort, and the extra work she's been putting in. We've just got to put together 40 minutes … I think we said we put together 37-38 (minutes). And these games are too close against the number four team in the country. But we're growing and as we're building, we're not done. We're fighters."
Arizona State Women's Basketball Guard Sydney Erikstrup
On finding confidence:
"Honestly, it's just the hard work. I spend a lot of time with Coach Camille, and every coach. I've been working for this, and I had confidence in myself. And I'm very close with Kayla and Izzy. I wanted more than anything to win this one for them. And my teammates credit to them; they did a great job finding me and getting me open so that really helped."
Up Next
The Sun Devils conclude its regular season with a two-game road trip in Oregon next week before the Pac-12 Tournament. The first of those two games is at Oregon State on Thursday, Feb. 23 at 8 p.m. MST. The game can be seen on Pac-12 Arizona and heard on KDUS AM 1060.