Sun Devil WBB comes through in crunch time in Molly Miller’s ASU coaching debut
TEMPE – The Sun Devil women’s basketball team made 67 percent of its shots in the fourth quarter and outscored Coppin State 27-10 in the final frame to turn a three-point deficit into a 67-53 win in Molly Miller’s debut as head coach of Sun Devil Women’s Basketball.
Prime performers
- Four Sun Devils scored in double figures, led by Marley Washenitz, who scored 17 points. Washenitz helped the Sun Devils start the game strong (team-high seven points in the first quarter) and finish strong (seven points in the fourth quarter). Washenitz was responsible for both of ASU’s 3-pointers and added four steals.
- In the second half, Gabby Elliott scored 14 of her 16 points, shot 62.5 percent from the floor, made all four of her free throws and led ASU’s rally with a team-high eight points in the final quarter. As great as Elliott performed of the offensive end, she was every bit as impressive defensively, leading ASU with a game- and career-high seven steals.
- McKinna Brackens poured in 14 points and led ASU with game highs in both total rebounds (eight) and offensive rebounds (four).
- Last-Tear Poa had a career night distributing the basketball, dishing out 10 assists, the most in a single game since current graduate assistant Reili Richardson had 11 at Colorado State on Dec. 9, 2018.
- Heloisa Carrera scored nine of her career-high 13 points in the second half.
How it happened
Through three quarters, each team gave as good as it got. Brackens' three-point play gave the Sun Devils a nine-point lead with 3:22 remaining in the first half.
Coppin State not only got within four points by the intermission but opened the second half with its own scoring flurry. Down 32-27, the Eagles flipped the momentum with nine straight points to go up 36-32.
The Eagles took their largest lead of the game, 41-34, with 4:32 remaining in the third quarter.
ASU proved its merit, getting within three points by the end of the quarter. The Sun Devils eventually reclaimed leads of three points and five points. Both times the Eagles came back to tie the game, the second of those occasions coming with 5:43 left in the game.
With the game tied at 51-51, Elliott stepped up and made a pair of free throws to give the Sun Devils a lead they would not relinquish.
Amid the game going back and forth, the Sun Devils started a run in which they made nine of their last 12 shots.
On the opposite end, little did Coppin State know at the time that Erin Henry’s 3-pointer that tied the game at 51-51 would be the Eagles’ last field goal of the game. The only scoring Coppin State was able to muster the remainder of the game came via a pair of free throws.
The Sun Devils closed the game with a pair of 8-1 scoring runs to claim the win.
Doing it with defense
- ASU’s defense forced 33 turnovers and converted those miscues into 37 points of its own.
- The 19 steals ASU collected as a team represented the most by a Sun Devil squad since it had 20 in a win over Cal Poly on Dec. 3, 2010.
With ASU’s win, Molly Miller has now ...
- Won 298 career games.
- Won her last 31 non-NCAA Tournament games going back to last season.
- Won her last 24 home games going back to the 2023-24 season.
- Won all 12 season openers in her career: 6-0 at Drury, 5-0 at GCU and 1-0 at ASU.
Up next
The Sun Devils will play the second of two home games to start the season when they host Eastern Washington on Saturday (2 p.m. MST) at Desert Financial Arena. Get tickets for Saturday's game on SunDevils.com.
Postgame quotes
Head Coach Molly Miller
... on the team’s slow start and strong finish
“I knew we would take a little while to knock off the rust and calm the jitters. I didn’t think it was going to take three quarters, but we scored 29 in the first half and we scored 27 in the fourth quarter, so I’d like a little bit more of those fourth quarter runs.
Our defense kept us in it for three quarters. Playing from behind going into the fourth quarter, that’s a testament to our team and our perseverance and leadership. It’s a great way to be tested and come out on top. I know (our players) weren’t satisfied. I could hear them at the end saying it was an ugly win. That’s why defense wins, because when you’re having a first half in the 20s, it wasn’t our defense that was the issue. We were missing layups and missing some uncharacteristic 3-pointers. It was the first time for us to put on the jersey and walk out with a crowd like that, so we’ll settle in and I’m excited for the fans to come back and see what’s in store next.”
... on what it means to have the returning players
“I had to ask Jaya (LoVett) which tunnel we go out the second time. So, even to get the lay of the land, those two (Jyah LoVett and Makayla Moore) have just welcomed me with open arms. Sometimes that’s hard to do because they picked the school, but they didn’t necessarily pick me as their coach. So, they’ve really bought into what we’re trying to do, and a lot of credit goes to those kids. When they were dealt these cards, they just said, ‘All right, I’m game. I’m with you, coach.’ That means a lot to me when everyone is speaking the same language and is on the same page. Those two are a big part of that.”
... on forcing 33 turnovers
“We create havoc. We really get after it. We make everything really difficult for other teams. We want to disrupt when we defend. We want to make entry passes harder. We made an adjustment there where we trapped the ball screens to make them uncomfortable, and that gave us some momentum.”
Guard Marley Washenitz
... on winning the season opener
“It feels great. I think that we put in a tremendous amount of hard work from the staff to the players, as well as the support staff. Everyone has put in so much hard work to see it come onto the court. Granted, we wanted this game to look a little bit better and cleaner on our end, but at the end of the day, we got the result we wanted, and I think that’s all that matters. It was really awesome to be able to celebrate each other on the court in the environment we want to build.”
... on the team’s defensive performance
“Defense is our main priority. Obviously, you try to outscore the other team, but for us, it’s that blue-collar mentality, every 50/50 ball is ours. You saw that tonight we were all over the floor. I’m not sure if we had 100% of all the balls, but we certainly tried to. Our defense is what sets the tone, we said that coming out even in the third quarter. The times when we hit our lows, we would say, 'We need to step it up.' Every time we sent the message, it started on defense. We’re very cognizant of the fact that our defense runs the majority of our energy. It’s really awesome that we feed off of that.”
Guard Gabby Elliott
... on the team’s defensive performance
“We just were kind of feeding off each other’s energy. I feel like it started on defense for both of us tonight. She can correct me if I’m wrong, but it kind of just flowed for me. Our teammates found me, and I found her. We found each other, and we got the result.”
... on the impact of veteran players
“It’s like coming to a new school and not knowing anybody. It’s good to have someone familiar who can show you around. Even today, although it’s kind of small, we had to run, and Jyah had to lead us. We are literally running blind, trusting Jyah to get us there and so on. Even learning how to ring the bell, I was nervous; I didn’t know what to do. Little stuff like that, having somebody there really means a lot and it goes a long way even if it doesn’t show up in the stat book.”
... on the team coming together
“Molly and the coaching staff did their job already with building their relationships with us, so now that the season is here, they know how to get the best out of us and get what we need from each individual, and that’s the best part. We’re beyond the building relationships part; we’re family now. That’s the best part about the relationships and the foundation that we’ve already built. We’re stacking on it, but we know how to get the best out of each other.”