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WBB back on the road for contest vs. No. 13 TCU on Sunday

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WBB back on the road for contest vs. No. 13 TCU on SundayWBB back on the road for contest vs. No. 13 TCU on Sunday
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The Sun Devil women’s basketball team (16-1, 3-1 Big 12) will be playing on the road for the sixth time in its last eight games when it travels to Fort Worth, Texas, to face No. 13/10 TCU (15-1, 3-1 Big 12) on Sunday (4 p.m. CST/3 p.m. MST). The Horned Frogs have won their last 35 games at home (currently the second-longest streak in Division I).

State of play

  • Sunday’s game will be the second meeting between ASU and TCU. TCU claimed the first encounter 82-66 last season in Tempe.
  • In their most recent outing, the Sun Devils bounced back from their only loss of the season (71-62 at BYU on Jan. 3) with a 68-45 win over UCF on Wednesday.
  • Heloisa Carrera (scored 15 of her game-high 20 points in the second half), McKinna Brackens (posted her sixth double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds) and Gabby Elliott (scored 12 points) all scored in double figures for the Sun Devils, who improved to 10-0 at home.
  • ASU shot higher than 50 percent (53.2) for the fourth time this season. To accomplish that, the Sun Devils were successful on 67 percent (14-21 FGs) of their attempts in the second half.
  • In conference play, ASU has averaged nearly seven more free throw attempts per game than it did in during non-conference play (23.3-16.5). Even more important is it shooting 11.4 percentage points higher from the line in Big-12 games (77.4-66.4).
  • By the time the Sun Devils host Arizona on Jan. 28, they will have played eight of 11 games on the road going back to early December. After Sunday’s game, the Sun Devils will host Kansas (Jan. 17) before once again hitting the road for their furthest Big 12 destinations of the season when they play at West Virginia (Jan. 21) and at Cincinnati (Jan. 24).
  • Sunday’s game will be the first time this season the Sun Devils will be facing a ranked opponent.
  • ASU (16-1, 3-1) has already won six more games and has equaled the number of conference wins it had in 2024-25 (10-22, 3-15 Big 12).

Watch/Listen

Sunday’s game can seen on ESPN+ (John Liddle and Jada Curtis). It can also be heard on KDUS AM 1060 (pregame coverage will start at 3 p.m. MST). The state of Arizona’s 2010 and 2019 Broadcaster of the Year Jeff Munn, who on Dec. 4, 2025 was named a recipient of the Arizona Media Association Lifetime Service Award, is in his 22nd season as the voice of ASU WBB.

Making history again

On Dec. 6, head coach Molly Miller’s first ASU squad surpassed the 1991-92 team (9-0) for the best start in school history. With its win over Utah on New Year’s Eve, the Sun Devils tied the 2008-09 and 2015-16 teams for the longest winning streak in school history. It was not until Jan. 3 (71-62 at BYU) that ASU lost for the first time in 2025-26.

 Did you know as a head coach Molly Miller....?

  • Entered the 2025-26 campaign third in winning percentage among active coaches who have served at least five years as a Division I head coach. At the outset of the 2025-26 campaign, Miller (84.4 pct/297-55 career record) trailed only legendary coaches Geno Auriemma (88.3 percent/1,250-165 career record) and Kim Mulkey (85.9 percent/754-124 career record).
  • Including last season’s 32-3 record when she was coaching for Grand Canyon, is 48-4 over the last two seasons. She has also won 46 of her last 47 non-NCAA Tournament games going back to last season.
  • Has won her last 33 home games going back to the 2023-24 season when she was the head coach at GCU.
  • Won 300th game as an NCAA head coach on Nov. 13, 2025.

Home away from home

Even when ASU is not playing in front of its fans at Desert Financial Arena, it has still performed at a high level as it has won six of its seven road games. 

  • Among ASU’s more impressive stats when playing on road: +6.7 in ppg (69.9-63.1), +4.8 in overall field goal percent (42.7.37.9), +7.9 in 3FG percent 39.1 pct (39.6-31.7), +5.6 in turnover margin and +6.5 in points off turnovers (19.4-13.9).
  • Individually, Gabby Elliott (19.9 ppg, 42.9 pct 3FGs/15-35, 5.4 rpg), McKinna Brackens (16.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 79.5 FT pct/35-44) and Marley Washenitz (10.1 ppg) have led ASU. Also, Last-Tear is shooting 86.7 percent from the line (13-15).
  • ASU’s four highest single-game individual scoring totals this season have all come on the road. Brackens: 31 points at Utah and Elliott 30 points at Gonzaga (Dec. 16), 27 points at Penn State (Dec. 9) and 24 points at San Diego (Nov. 13). In the contest at San Diego, Elliott knocked down six 3-pointers, one short of tying the program record.
  • ASU is 4-0 this season in games decided by five points or less, including 3-0 on the road: 55-53/OT at Oregon State (Dec. 14), 68-66 at Gonzaga (Dec. 16) and 69-68 at Utah (Dec. 31).

It’s no coincidence...  

When she assumed the reins of Sun Devil Women’s Basketball, Molly Miller emphasized defense as one of the pillars of success of her past teams and it would be no different at ASU. Miller’s last two Grand Canyon teams were among the best in the nation in scoring defense: 19th in 23-24 (56.4 ppg) and 31st in 24-25 (57.2 ppg). It should come as no surprise those teams won 83.6 percent of their games (56-11).

One of the biggest benefits of playing excellent defense is limiting the number of times a team finds itself in the unenviable position of having to chase the game. That has been a significant factor in ASU’s success this season. With the exception of its game at BYU (-11 points), ASU has not faced a deficit larger than seven points (Coppin St., UNLV, Utah). In addition, ASU has led for at least half the game (20+ minutes) in all but one of its contests (at BYU), including 10 games it has led for 30+ minutes.

FUN FACT: Going back to her first season at Grand Canyon (2020-21), Molly Miller’s teams are 71-0 when holding the opposition to 55 or fewer points.

Dominant Devil defense  

  • As of Jan. 9, ASU is ranked among the top 50 teams in the nation in scoring defense (33rd/56.2 ppg), FG pct. defense (6th/35.1), turnovers forced per game (36th/21.4).
  • Thirteen of ASU’s opponents have scored more than 16 points.
  • Only five opponents – Santa Clara (37 points), Colorado (31) and Gonzaga (29), BYU (28), Utah (27) – have scored more than 25 points in the first half.
  • ASU has held the opposition to 13 or fewer points in a quarter 33 times this season, including single digits 13 times.
  • In its 67-44 win vs. San Francisco (Dec. 6), ASU held the Dons more than 30 points below their scoring average... ASU’s 56-53 win over UNLV (Nov. 22) represented the first time the Lady Rebels were held to 53 or fewer points in 148 games.
  • On Dec. 14, Oregon State (15 points) became the first ASU opponent in six games to reach a double-digit point total in the second quarter. ASU’s previous five opponents scored a combined 28 points in the second quarter (5.6 ppg): Little Rock - 5, SEMO - 5, McNeese - 7 San Francisco - 7, Penn State - 4.
  • The opposition has had 20+ more turnovers nine times, including a trio of 30+ TO games: 33 vs. Coppin St. (Nov. 3), 31 vs. San Francisco (Dec. 6) and a season-high 36 at Penn St. (Dec. 9).
  • As of Jan. 10, Gabby Elliott has two of the highest single-game steal totals in the Big 12: 8 vs. San Francisco, 7 vs. Coppin St.
  • In its win over Colorado (Dec. 21), ASU’s defense once again stepped up when it mattered most. After Colorado made its first three shots of the fourth quarter to pull within two points, 58-56, the Sun Devils forced the Buffaloes into missing seven of their last nine shots and outscored Colorado 21-7 over the last 7:57 of the game.
  • ASU has ended with a double-digit total in steals 10 times in this season.  

Team notes

  • ASU has the top two rebounding games by a Big 12 team this season: vs. Utah Tech (62) & vs. Santa Clara (59). Its rebounding effort vs. Utah Tech represented the third time in the last 25 years it had at least 60 rebounds in a game.
  • ASU has outscored the opposition by an average of 20.2-13.6 in points off turnovers this season... It has scored more second chance points than its opponent in all but five games. Its bench has outscored the opposition’s reserves 11x in 17 games
  • ASU has scored 20 or more points in a quarter 22 times.
  • In their win at San Diego (Nov. 13), the Sun Devils tied the single-game program record for most 3-pointers in a game (14). As of Jan. 19, ASU’s 63.6 shooting performance from beyond the arc in that game is the second-highest 3-point shooting percentage by a Big 12 team this season.
  • The opposition is averaging 51.4 ppg when ASU has played at home (10 games). In those games, the opposition has made only 34.6 pct. of its FGs and 30.5 pct. of its 3FGs.
  • Six Sun Devils have led/tied for the team lead in scoring: McKinna Brackens (7x), Gabby Elliott (6x), Heloisa Carrera (3x), Marley Washenitz (1x), Amaya Williams (1x), Jyah LoVett (1x).
  • Seven Sun Devils have scored in double figures multiple times: Elliott (15x), Brackens (15x), Washenitz (9x), Carrera (7x), LoVett (3x), Amaya Williams (4x) and Last-Tear Poa (2x).
  • Seven Sun Devils have led or tied for the team lead in rebounding: Brackens (8x), Carrera (4x), Elliott (3x), Deborah Davenport (2x), Washenitz (1x), Martina Fantini (1x) and Poa. Elliott’s 16-rebound performance at Santa Clara, is tied for the most by a player in the Big 12 this season.

Individual player notes

  • Brackens (double figures in scoring in her last 14 games) scored a then-career high 23 points in consecutive games: at Santa Clara (Nov. 16) and vs. UNLV (Nov. 22) and set a new career standard in scoring with 31 points at Utah (Dec. 31).
  • Four different players have posted double-doubles this season: Brackens (6/26th in NCAA), Elliott (1), Poa (1) and Carrera (1).
  • Poa (10 assists vs. SEMO and vs. Coppin State) and Williams (11 assists at San Diego) have combined for three double-digit assist games this season. Williams’ 11 assists were the most for a Sun Devil in a single game since current graduate assistant Reili Richardson had 11 at Colorado State on Dec. 9, 2018. Poa hit the game-winning 3-pointer with 16 seconds remaining in overtime in ASU’s 55-53 win at Oregon State (Dec. 14).
  • Brackens’ second half (22 points) and fourth quarter (14 points) at Utah (Dec. 31) were reminiscent of what Elliott did at Gonzaga on Dec. 16. In that contest, Elliott scored 21 points in the second half with 17 of them coming in the final 10 minutes to lead ASU to a 68-66 win.

#HailMarley

Anyone who saw what turned out to be the game-winning 3-pointer made by Marley Washenitz in the Sun Devil women’s basketball team’s 56-53 win over UNLV on Nov. 22 – and is old enough to remember – might just have harkened back to the commercials of the early 90s that featured basketball Hall of Famers Michael Jordan and Larry Bird challenging each other over and over again to make improbable shots, something like a game of H-O-R-S-E.

What shot would Washenitz have challenged her opponent to make on that Saturday? This is what came to be known as the #HailMarley: With only seconds remaining in the game, the shot clock about to expire, with her back to the basket, save the ball before it rolls out of bounds and – in the same motion – turn around and fling a left-handed 3-pointer off the glass. For Washenitz, who came into the game having scored in double figures in each of ASU’s first four games of the season, the improvisational shot was the first – and only – of her seven field goal attempts of the game that resulted in points.

Sun Devil Athletics counts down to NCAA Women’s Final Four

In October 2020, the NCAA officially named ASU, the city of Phoenix, and the Footprint Center as hosts for the Women’s Final Four Tournament, to be held April 3, 5, 2026.

This past August, ASU head coach Molly Miller joined several key community members at the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport to unveil the official Countdown Clock to the event.

Unveiled alongside Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallaego, 2026 Women’s Final Four Committee Jay Parry, and NCAA Vice President for Women’s Basketball Lynn Holzman, the clock is located at the busiest terminal in the airport, Terminal 4, on the west end of the baggage claim. The placement means it will see significant foot traffic to build maximum excitement.

Arizona State University had a significant presence at the event. ASU Athletic Director Graham Rossini, Sparky, and Senior Associate Athletics Director Christina Wombacher were on hand to help underscore the University’s role as a proud stakeholder in bringing the Women’s Final Four to the Valley for the first time.