MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Despite another stout defensive performance, the Sun Devil women’s basketball team (17-3, 4-3 Big 12) came up short in its pursuit of pulling off the upset in its 53-43 loss at No. 22 West Virginia (16-4, 5-2) on Wednesday.
The Sun Devils led by as many as eight late in the third quarter and were tied at 41-41 in the final frame before the Mountaineers went on a 12-2 run in the final 2:45 of the game to claim the win.
Sun Devil standouts
- Gabby Elliott (15 points, six rebounds) and McKinna Brackens (15 points, four rebounds, two steals) led ASU by combining for 30 points and 10 rebounds.
- Heloisa Carrera, who was named to this week’s Big 12 Starting Five, had a team-high eight rebounds and a career-high three blocks.
- Collectively as a team, the Sun Devils held West Virginia to its second-lowest point total of the season, 25.6 points below its scoring average, and 11.1 percentage points below its usual 34.2 percent efficiency from beyond the arc.
How it happened
- Although the Sun Devils were minus-four in turnovers (21-17), they were plus-six in points off turnovers (16-10).
- ASU came into the game averaging nearly six more free throw attempts per game in Big 12 play than it did in non-conference play (22.3-16.5). Remarkably, the Sun Devils were not awarded a single free throw attempt in their loss to the Mountaineers.
- In a game that featured the No. 4 (ASU) and No. 5 (West Virginia) teams in the Big 12 in scoring defense, it was fitting the two teams combined for 24 points in the first quarter (13-11, W.V.)
- After trailing by as many as 10 twice in the second quarter, the Sun Devils closed the half with a 9-0 run to get within a single point (25-24) after 20 minutes of play. Elliott (five points) and Brackens (four points) accounted for all nine points.
- ASU extended the scoring run to 13-0 after Brackens made the first two baskets of the third quarter to give ASU a 28-25 lead.
- After the Mountaineers pulled within one point (28-27), Brackens hit a triple that ignited a 9-2 run that gave ASU its largest lead of the game, 37-28, with 1:17 left in the third quarter.
- West Virginia scored the game’s next nine points to knot the score at 37-37 less than a minute into the final period.
- After Amaya Williams’ layup returned the lead to ASU, 41-39, neither team was able to score for more than two minutes.
- West Virginia’s Gia Cooke once again tied the game at 41-41 with 4:04 left.
- Unfortunately for ASU, it made only one – Brackens’ jumper that got ASU within four points, 47-43, with 63 seconds remaining – of its last nine shots.
- The Mountaineers scored the game’s last six points from the free throw line. Fourteen of West Virginia’s 19 free throw attempts came in the final quarter.
- West Virginia’s 53 points represented the 11th time this season ASU has allowed fewer than 55 points.
Up next
The Sun Devils close out their road trip on Saturday when they play Cincinnati. Game time has been moved up to noon EST/10 a.m. MST due to inclement weather in the forecast. The game, originally scheduled for 2 p.m. EST, will still air on ESPN+ and be heard on KDUS AM 1060.