The official athletics site of Arizona State University Opens in a new window
ASU Home My ASU Colleges and Schools
Sun Devil Athletics
HomeHome
ASU Home My ASU Colleges and Schools
Loading

Strong second half propels Sun Devil Women's Basketball past UCF

Purchase tickets to upcoming games Opens in a new window Game Book Opens in a new window Postgame quotes Opens in a new window Updated Stats Opens in a new window Join Molly Miller for live taping of weekly radio/TV show Opens in a new window
Strong second half propels Sun Devil Women's Basketball past UCFStrong second half propels Sun Devil Women's Basketball past UCF
Sun Devil Athletics

TEMPE – The Sun Devil Women’s Basketball team (16-1, 3-1 Big 12) used a remarkable second-half performance in which it made 67 percent of its shots (14-21) and 79 percent of its free throws (11-14) on its way to a 68-45 win over UCF (8-7, 0-4) on Wednesday night.

Sun Devil standouts

  • Heloisa Carrera scored 15 of her game-high 20 points in the second half. Over the last 20 minutes, Carrera was 6-7 FGs, 3-4 FTs. In the third quarter alone, Carrera scored 11 of ASU’s 20 points. Carrera also had five rebounds and two steals.
  • McKinna Brackens posted her sixth double-double of the season (15 points, 11 rebounds). In the first half, Brackens tied for the team lead with six points and led the team with six rebounds.
  • Gabby Elliott scored 12 points to go with four rebounds and four assists.
  • Last-Tear Poa scored five points, dished out a game-high six assists and pulled down a career-high eight rebounds for the second time in three games.
  • Marley Washenitz (six points) tied with Brackens for the team high in scoring in the first half.
  • Carrera (15 points), Brackens (nine points) and Elliott (eight points) combined to score 32 of ASU’s 42 points in the second half.

How it happened

  • Five different Sun Devils scored in the first quarter, led by Washenitz who scored six points (2-2 FGs, 2-2 FTs) to help ASU take a 15-9 lead after one quarter. Elliott added four points for the Sun Devils, who knocked down 50 percent of their shots (6-12).
  • ASU used a 10-1 run to lead by as many as nine points in the opening frame. Brackens’ layup with 1:51 remaining gave ASU a 14-5 lead.
  • After UCF scored the first three points of the second quarter to get back within three, ASU responded with a 7-0 run to take its first double-digit lead of the game, 22-12 with 5:12 remaining.
  • Neither team scored after UCF’s Samari Bankhead’s 3-pointer got UCF within five points (26-21) with 1:48 remaining in the half.
  • With 4:08 remaining in the third quarter and ASU up 35-27, Carrera made the first of three consecutive layups that sparked a 10-0 ASU run. Brackens (2-2 FTs) and Amaya Williams (2-2 FTs) put the finishing touches on the scoring burst to give ASU a commanding 45-27 lead.
  • After UCF got back within 10 early in the fourth quarter, Brackens (five points), Carrera (two points) and Elliott (two points) responded with the game’s next nine points to give ASU an insurmountable 55-36 lead with 6:58 left in the game 

Notes

  • ASU is now 10-0 at home, the first time since the 2021-22 season (10-4) it has won at least 10 games at home.
  • The Sun Devils made 12 of their final 16 shots (75 percent) vs. UCF.
  • UCF became the fifth ASU opponent to fail to score more than 47 points.
  • Only five opponents – Santa Clara (37 points), Colorado (31), Gonzaga (29), BYU (28), Utah (27) – have scored more than 25 points vs. ASU 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.
  • The 24 points scored by UCF in the second half tied the second-fewest amount of points scored by the opposition.

Up next

The Sun Devils travel to Fort Worth, Texas, to take on No. 13/10 TCU on Sunday (4 p.m. CST/3 p.m. MST). The game can be seen on ESPN+ and heard on KDUS AM 1060.