TEMPE, Ariz. – The short-handed Sun Devil women's basketball team nearly came back from a double-digit but in the end did not have enough to get over the hump in a 65-55 loss to Santa Clara on Saturday.
Trayanna Crisp and (12 points), Jaddan Simmons (11 points) and Kadidia Toure (10 points) led the way for the Sun Devils (8-5), who were without key contributors Maggie Besselink and Treasure Hunt.
The Sun Devils trailed by as many as 12 in the first half before transforming their defense into a riddle Santa Clara had no answers for during the latter stages of the first half and for the entire third quarter. The net result was a game tied at 44-44 entering the fourth quarter.
After managing one field goal and shooting a paltry 11 percent in the third quarter, Santa Clara was able to right the ship in fourth quarter when it when it hit 50 percent of its shots (5-10 FGs) and 85 percent of its free throws (11-13) while outscoring ASU 21-11.
"I thought our group battled back. I thought it was a back-and-forth game. I thought we made some hustle plays to get it back to [tie the game]," ASU head coach Natasha Adair said. "Then, at the start of the fourth we had a [scoring] drought. Against any team you can't spot them especially at winning time.
"I thought there were moments where our pressure looked really good. There were moments where we were in sync offensively. I thought our defense was disruptive. But down the stretch I felt like we couldn't get the shot that we wanted. They scored, we didn't, they scored, we didn't, so trying to claw your way back down the stretch and then we started trading baskets, putting them on the free throw line. So a lot of good stuff to show the group as we prepare for Pac-12 play."
Santa Clara came out as the early aggressor, scoring the game's first seven points.
The Sun Devils fought back to get within a single point on two different occasions in the quarter, the second time after a jumper by Simmons cut Santa Clara's lead to 14-13 with just under three minutes remaining.
After clawing their way back into the game, the Sun Devils once again found themselves down by seven after the Broncos scored the last six points of the quarter to reclaim a seven-point lead, 29-13.
Simmons and Crisp tied for the team lead in scoring with four points each.
Mallory Miller's first career triple and a layup by Toure once again got the Sun Devils within three points, 23-20.
The Broncos answered with an 11-2 run to take their largest lead of the game, 34-22, just past the midpoint of the period.
ASU's defense played a critical role in helping the Sun Devils get back into the game as Santa Clara scored just two points over the last 3:30 of the quarter. Simmons' 3-pointer in the closing seconds helped ASU trim Santa Clara's advantage to 38-31 at the intermission.
Although the Sun Devils were not pouring in points at a rapid rate, they did enough to tie the score at 40-40 after outscoring the Broncos 9-2 over the first seven-plus minutes of the third frame. Out of the six points Santa Clara did score in the third quarter, four of them had to be manufactured from the foul line as ASU allowed the Broncos to shoot 11 percent for the period.
The Sun Devils resume Pac-12 action next week when they host No. 12 Utah on Friday (7 p.m. MST) and No. 8 Colorado on Sunday (12 p.m. MST).
Trayanna Crisp and (12 points), Jaddan Simmons (11 points) and Kadidia Toure (10 points) led the way for the Sun Devils (8-5), who were without key contributors Maggie Besselink and Treasure Hunt.
The Sun Devils trailed by as many as 12 in the first half before transforming their defense into a riddle Santa Clara had no answers for during the latter stages of the first half and for the entire third quarter. The net result was a game tied at 44-44 entering the fourth quarter.
After managing one field goal and shooting a paltry 11 percent in the third quarter, Santa Clara was able to right the ship in fourth quarter when it when it hit 50 percent of its shots (5-10 FGs) and 85 percent of its free throws (11-13) while outscoring ASU 21-11.
"I thought our group battled back. I thought it was a back-and-forth game. I thought we made some hustle plays to get it back to [tie the game]," ASU head coach Natasha Adair said. "Then, at the start of the fourth we had a [scoring] drought. Against any team you can't spot them especially at winning time.
"I thought there were moments where our pressure looked really good. There were moments where we were in sync offensively. I thought our defense was disruptive. But down the stretch I felt like we couldn't get the shot that we wanted. They scored, we didn't, they scored, we didn't, so trying to claw your way back down the stretch and then we started trading baskets, putting them on the free throw line. So a lot of good stuff to show the group as we prepare for Pac-12 play."
Santa Clara came out as the early aggressor, scoring the game's first seven points.
The Sun Devils fought back to get within a single point on two different occasions in the quarter, the second time after a jumper by Simmons cut Santa Clara's lead to 14-13 with just under three minutes remaining.
After clawing their way back into the game, the Sun Devils once again found themselves down by seven after the Broncos scored the last six points of the quarter to reclaim a seven-point lead, 29-13.
Simmons and Crisp tied for the team lead in scoring with four points each.
Mallory Miller's first career triple and a layup by Toure once again got the Sun Devils within three points, 23-20.
The Broncos answered with an 11-2 run to take their largest lead of the game, 34-22, just past the midpoint of the period.
ASU's defense played a critical role in helping the Sun Devils get back into the game as Santa Clara scored just two points over the last 3:30 of the quarter. Simmons' 3-pointer in the closing seconds helped ASU trim Santa Clara's advantage to 38-31 at the intermission.
Although the Sun Devils were not pouring in points at a rapid rate, they did enough to tie the score at 40-40 after outscoring the Broncos 9-2 over the first seven-plus minutes of the third frame. Out of the six points Santa Clara did score in the third quarter, four of them had to be manufactured from the foul line as ASU allowed the Broncos to shoot 11 percent for the period.
The Sun Devils resume Pac-12 action next week when they host No. 12 Utah on Friday (7 p.m. MST) and No. 8 Colorado on Sunday (12 p.m. MST).