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WBB concludes first Big 12 road trip at BYU on Saturday

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WBB concludes first Big 12 road trip at BYU on SaturdayWBB concludes first Big 12 road trip at BYU on Saturday
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The Sun Devil women’s basketball team (15-0, 2-0 Big 12) concludes its first Big 12 road trip on Saturday (2 p.m. MST) when it plays at BYU (12-2, 1-1). Coming off their longest break of the regular season between games (10 days), the Sun Devils prevailed in a contest decided in the final seconds for the third time in four games in their 69-68 win at Utah on Wednesday. In addition to extending the best start in program history, ASU also tied the 2008-09 and 2015-16 squads for the longest winning streak in the program annals.

As of games played through New Year’s Day, ASU was one of seven teams in the nation with an unbeaten record, joining Big 12 teams No. 8/7 TCU (14-0, 2-0), No. 10/10 Iowa State (14-0, 2-0) and No. 21/23 Texas Tech (15-0, 2-0). Unlike its conference mates, ASU has yet to be recognized as one of the nation’s Top 25 teams by either of the major polls.

McKinna Brackens scored 22 of her career-high 31 points in the second half (14 points in the final 10 minutes) in ASU’s win at Utah. Time and again, Brackens came through in pressure situations at the foul line, knocking down eight of 10 attempts in the final period, including the tying and go-ahead makes with 1.1 seconds remaining. After missing ASU’s win at Gonzaga (Dec. 16) due to injury, Brackens, who is tied with Gabby Elliott for the team lead in scoring (15.9 ppg) and leads the team in rebounds (7.6 rpg), scored a game-high 18 points in ASU’s 79-63 win over Colorado (Dec. 21).

Elliott poured in a season-high 30 points (accounted for 17 of ASU’s 19 points in the fourth quarter, the most points scored in a quarter by a Sun Devil this season) and had four rebounds and four steals in the win at Gonzaga. Combined with her performance vs. Colorado (14 points, three steals), Elliott was named to the Big 12’s weekly Starting Five on Dec. 23 after averaging 22.0 points and 3.5 steals in the two wins.

Elliott (13x, four games with 20+ points) and Brackens (13x, three games with 20+ points) have combined to score in double figures 26 times this season. They have also combined for seven of ASU’s eight 20+ points games (Heloisa Carrera has the other).  Brackens’ 31 points vs. Utah surpassed the 30 points Elliott scored at Gonzaga for the most points by a Sun Devil this season.

Watch/Listen

Saturday’s game can seen on ESPN+ and heard on KDUS AM 1060 (pregame coverage will start at 1:30 p.m.). 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 (10-0) surpassed the 1991-92 team (9-0) for the best start in school history. With Wednesday’s win over Utah, the Sun Devils tied the 2008-09 and 2015-16 teams for the longest winning streak in school history. A win on Saturday at BYU would establish a new program standard.

Longest winning streaks in program history

  • 15: Nov. 3, 2025 – current
  • 15: Dec. 6, 2015 – Jan. 29, 2016
  • 15: Jan. 28 – Mar. 5, 2009
  • 14: Nov. 30, 2014 – Jan. 23, 2015

Series notes vs. BYU

  • Despite their relatively proximity to each other, the two squads have only squared off six times since the 1991-92 season.
  • The two schools were brought together for a 2010 second round WNIT game, a contest won by BYU 61-53 in Tempe.
  • BYU had won three of four meetings prior to ASU’s 85-73 OT win last season in Provo.

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 all six of its road games. As of Jan. 1, ASU is one of only three teams that have a 6-0 record on the road (Kentucky and Austin Peay).

  • Among ASU’s more impressive stats when playing on road: +9.4 in ppg (71.2-61.8), 41.0 pct 3FGs (36-87), 6.0 3FGs per game, +5.0 in turnover margin and +6.7 in points off turnovers (20.0-13.3).
  • Individually, Gabby Elliott (19.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 2.1 spg, 42.9 pct 3FGs/12-28), McKinna Brackens (18.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 49.2 FG pct./30-61, 80.6 FT pct/29-36 - missed game at Gonzaga) and Marley Washenitz (10.2 ppg, 2.0 spg 40.0 pct 3FG pct) have led ASU. Also, Last-Tear Poa has averaged 5.0 apg and is shooting 92.3 percent from the line (12-13).
  • ASU’s four highest single-game scoring totals this season have all come on the road. Brackens: 31 points at Utah. Elliott 30 points at Gonzaga (Dec. 16), 27 points at Penn State (Dec. 9), 24 points at San Diego (Nov. 13). In the contest at San Diego, Elliott knocked down six 3-pointers, one short of tying the single-game program record.

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).
  • Has won her last 45 non-NCAA Tournament games going back to last season when she was coaching at Grand Canyon University.
  • Has won her last 32 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.

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 as it 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 of its contests, including nine 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 70-0 when holding the opposition to 55 or fewer points.

Dominant Devil defense  

  • As of Jan. 2, ASU is ranked among the top 50 teams in the nation in scoring defense (40th/56.0 ppg), turnovers forced per game (42nd/21.3), FG pct. defense (44th/36.2) and steals (47th/11.0 spg) .
  • Only five of ASU’s 15 opponents – Santa Clara (77 points), Utah (68 points), Colorado (63), Penn State (60) and Gonzaga (60) – have scored more than 58 points.
  • Only four opponents – Santa Clara (37 points), Colorado (31) and Gonzaga (29), 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 28 times this season, including single digits 12 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 eight 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. 2, 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 nine 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 21.1-13.4 in points off turnovers this season... It has scored more second chance points than its opponent in all but four games. Its bench has outscored the opposition’s reserves 11x in 15 games
  • ASU has scored 20 or more points in a quarter 19x this season.
  • 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. 2, 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 52.1 ppg when ASU has played at home (nine games). In those games, the opposition has made only 35 pct. of its FGs and 30.0 pct. of its 3FGs.
  • Six Sun Devils have led/tied for the team lead in scoring: McKinna Brackens (7x), Gabby Elliott (5x), Marley Washenitz (1x), Amaya Williams (1x), Heloisa Carrera (2x) and Jyah LoVett (1x).
  • Seven Sun Devils have scored in double figures multiple times: Elliott (13x), Brackens (13x), Washenitz (7x), Carrera (5x), 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), Elliott (3x), Deborah Davenport (2x), Washenitz (1x), Carrera (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 12 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). During the 12-game streak she has scored in double figures, Brackens is averaging 16.8 ppg, 7.8 rpg and is shooting 52 pct., including 50.0 pct. 3FGs/10-20.
  • Four different players have posted double-doubles this season: Brackens (5/29th 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.

Big 12 schedule notes

  • When ASU hosted Colorado in its first Big 12 contest on Dec. 21, it was the squad’s first home game since Dec. 6. Prior to the contest vs. Colorado, ASU had road games at Penn State (Tues., Dec. 9), at Oregon State (Sun., Dec. 14), and at Gonzaga (Tues., Dec. 16).
  • After the conference opener against Colorado, ASU had its longest gap of the season between games (10 days). It will resume Big 12 play with consecutive road games in the state of Utah (at Utah on Dec. 31 and at BYU on Jan. 3). Following a home contest vs. UCF (Jan. 7), ASU will play at TCU (Jan. 11), the third time in four games it will be on the road following the holiday break.
  • When ASU hosts Arizona on Jan. 28, it will be the first of three straight home games and four of five overall. Contests vs. Kansas State (Feb. 1) and Oklahoma State (Dec. 4) at Desert Financial Arena will precede ASU’s only road game in the stretch, at Baylor on Feb. 7). The span will conclude with a rematch vs. Utah in Tempe (Feb. 11).

• ASU’s game at West Virginia (Jan. 21) will be the second time the Sun Devils will be playing more than 2,000 miles away from home in 2025-26. The first instance will take place on Dec. 9 at Penn State, the first of three consecutive road games ASU will play on the road to conclude the non-conference portion of its schedule. After playing at West Virginia, ASU will play a second consecutive road game at Cincinnati (Jan. 24).