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Whitehorn’s double-double leads Women’s Basketball to 79-52 win over NAU

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Whitehorn’s double-double leads Women’s Basketball to 79-52 win over NAUWhitehorn’s double-double leads Women’s Basketball to 79-52 win over NAU
Sun Devil Athletics

TEMPE – Ruby Whitehorn showed early signs of why many national women’s basketball analysts predicted her arrival in Tempe could mean big-time success for the Sun Devil women’s basketball team this season. In ASU’s 79-52 win over Northern Arizona on Thursday night, Whitehorn had games highs in points (25/11-13 FGs, 3-3 FTs) and rebounds (10) in helping the Sun Devils improve to 2-0.

Contributions came from the entire team as eight players logged double-digit totals in minutes. Rashunda Jones scored 11 points and had six rebounds to go with game highs in assists (six) and steals (four). Madison Morson (nine points), Heloisa Carrera (eight points), McKinna Brackens (eight points) and Ayanna-Sarai Darrington (eight points) also added significant scoring contributions.

For the second straight game, Averie Lower made multiple 3-pointers (two).

In addition to her offensive brilliance, Whitehorn was every bit as effective on the defensive end as she tied her career high with a game-high three blocks.

Excellent first and third quarters proved to be the difference as the Sun Devils outscored the Lumberjacks 49-20 in the two 10-minute blocks.

The hot shooting the Sun Devils displayed in the second half (58 percent 18-31 FGs) of their season-opening win over Jackson St. on Monday, carried over into the opening quarter on Thursday, as they connected on 56 percent of their attempts (10-18 FGs).

Whitehorn was nearly perfect from the floor (6-7 FGs), accounting for 12 points in helping ASU more than double up the Lumberjacks, 25-10 after 10 minutes.

Relative to the game’s other three quarters, the Sun Devils were caught napping in the second quarter as ASU scored fewer points than the opposition for the only time in the season’s first eight quarters.

With two minutes remaining in the half, NAU capped a 19-9 run to get within five points, 34-29. That is as close as it would get, as the Sun Devils scored four of the last five points in the quarter to take a 38-30 lead at the half.

The third quarter was nearly a facsimile of the opening frame as the Sun Devils outscored NAU 24-10 (25-10 in the first). And while any team would be pleased with the 56-percent shooting effort the Sun Devils had in the first quarter, they went above and beyond with a 67-percent (10-15 FGs) performance in the third frame.

Jones’ layup with 6:12 remaining in the third quarter finished a 13-2 run by the Sun Devils to put them up 51-32.

Lower’s 3-pointer in the final seconds made the count 62-40 in ASU’s favor going into the final period.

The Sun Devils, who had only nine turnovers in the contest, led by as many as 30 points in the game’s final two minutes to improve to 15-0 in nonconference, regular-season contests under second-year head coach Molly Miller. Last season, ASU went 13-0 in November and December on its way to the best start in program history (15-0).

Up next for the Sun Devils is a trip to Las Vegas to face the UNLV Lady Rebels. Tuesday’s contest (7:30 p.m. MST/6:30 p.m. PST on MW+/paid subscription required) will be a rematch of last season’s thriller between the two schools in Tempe, a 56-53 Sun Devil win in which Marley Washenitz hit an unimaginable triple in the game’s final seconds.