March 23, 2005
TEMPE, Ariz. -
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Advancing to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in 22 years, the 24th-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils return home to Wells Fargo Arena this weekend for the Tempe Regional of the 2005 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship. Coming off victories over Eastern Kentucky and No. 11/13 Notre Dame in the first and second rounds, the fifth-seeded Sun Devils will look to keep their postseason run going this weekend in the regional semifinals, taking on No. 4/2 and top-seeded North Carolina (29-3) on Saturday night at 9:30 p.m. Mountain with ESPN2 televising the action. The winner of ASU's game with UNC, which heads to Tempe on a 15-game winning streak, will take on the winner of Saturday's first regional semifinal contest between third-seeded Minnesota and second-seeded Baylor on Monday night on ESPN (time to be determined).
Winners of seven of their last eight games and nine of their last 11, the Sun Devils bring a 24-9 overall record into Saturday's contest, which marks the most victories since the team tied the school record for wins with a 25-9 mark in 2001-02. The Sun Devils have won their last seven home games and 17 of the last 18 at Wells Fargo Arena. Under ninth-year head coach Charli Turner Thorne, ASU has advanced to the NCAA's round of 16 for just the third time in school history and the first occasion since the women's tournament was expanded to 64 teams. With a victory on Saturday, ASU could tie its school record for home victories for the fourth consecutive season, match the school mark for overall wins and advance farther in the NCAA Tournament than any team in school history.
Exposure All of ASU's games in the NCAA Tournament will be broadcast live on KDUS 1060 AM with 28-year Valley broadcaster Jeff Munn and Phoenix Mercury general manager Seth Sulka calling the action. Munn, who is a radio play-by-play announcer for the Arizona Diamondbacks and the club's public address announcer, is in the first year of his second stint as ASU's play-by-play voice. ASU's games are also available on the internet at www.thesundevils.com.
ESPN2 will televise ASU's regional semifinal game with North Carolina to a national television audience with Dave O'Brien, Kara Lawson and Heather Cox (sidelines) calling the action. The Sun Devils hold a 10-5 record when playing on television this season, including a 2-0 mark on ESPN2.
In the Series with North Carolina Top-seeded North Carolina holds a 1-0 advantage in the series with ASU, turning in a 72-68 victory over the Sun Devils on Nov. 28, 1999 in Chapel Hill, N.C., in the only previous meeting between the two squads. ASU holds a 4-3 all-time record against teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference, including a 60-50 victory over Virginia in this year's season-opener.
North Carolina, which is ranked second and fourth in the latest national polls, brings a 15-game winning streak into this weekend's games in Tempe, including victories over Coppin State and George Washington in the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament. The Tar Heels hold a 29-3 overall record and won their first ACC title since 1998 this season. Sophomore guard Ivory Latta, an All-ACC selection this year, is leading the team in scoring with 17.2 points per game, while junior guard/forward La'Tangela Atkinson is the club's leading rebounder with 7.5 boards per contest.
ASU in the NCAA Tournament This season, ASU has advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen for the third time in school history and the first time since the women's tournament was expanded to 64 teams. The Sun Devils have never advanced past the national round of 16. ASU also reached the Sweet Sixteen in 1982 and 1983, both under then head coach Juliene Simpson. In each of those seasons, the fourth-seeded Sun Devils lost to the eventual national champion in the round of 16, falling to Louisiana Tech in 1982 and USC in 1983.
Saturday will mark the third time that ASU has played on its home floor in the NCAA Tournament. The Sun Devils hold a 2-0 record at Wells Fargo Arena in NCAA action, turning in first-round wins over Georgia and Utah in 1982 and 1983, respectively, to reach the round of 16 each season.
ASU is making its sixth all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament and its first since advancing to the second round in 2002. The team's five seed marks its highest since earning a four seed in both 1982 and 1983. Including last week's wins over Eastern Kentucky and Notre Dame, the Sun Devils now hold a 5-5 all-time record in their six forays into the "Big Dance."
ASU made its first back-to-back NCAA appearances in 20 years with invitations in 2001 and 2002, while ninth-year head coach Charli Turner Thorne has now become the first ASU mentor to lead her team to three NCAA Tournament berths. In 2002, ninth-seeded ASU traveled to Nashville, Tenn., and defeated Wisconsin 73-70 to earn the team's first postseason win in 19 years before falling to top-seeded and fourth-ranked Vanderbilt 61-35 on the Lady Commodore's home floor.
Home-Court Advantage ASU finished the regular season with a 12-1 mark at home this year, including a Dec. 21 upset of No. 8 UConn. The Sun Devils have won their last seven home games, 17 of their last 18 home contests and 30 of the last 33 at Wells Fargo Arena. In the last two seasons, the team has turned in a 25-2 home record (.926), while another home victory this season would tie the school record for wins at Wells Fargo Arena for the fourth consecutive year.
ASU's Jan. 7 loss to then No. 8/8 Stanford snapped the team's 10-game winning streak at Wells Fargo Arena and marked the team's first loss at home since Jan. 14, 2004. The Sun Devils hold a 74-15 record at home in the last six seasons (.831, 1999-00 to present) and a 51-8 mark at Wells Fargo Arena over the last four campaigns (.864).
The Sun Devils turned in a 13-1 record at Wells Fargo Arena last year, tying the school record for home wins for the third consecutive year and setting the school mark for home winning percentage in a season (.929). In 2002-03, ASU went 13-4 at Wells Fargo Arena which matched the school-record 13 victories the 2001-02 team had (13-2).
ASU's Record at Wells Fargo Arena since 1999-00 2004-05 12-1 (.923) 2003-04 13-1 (.929) 2002-03 13-4 (.765) 2001-02 13-2 (.867) 2000-01 12-4 (.750) 1999-00 11-3 (.786)
On the Offensive ASU has established itself as one of the top defensive teams in the nation, but the Sun Devil offense has been the star in ASU's two games in this year's NCAA Tournament. ASU is averaging 78.5 points per game in the two victories, up from a season average of 63.4 points per contest. The Sun Devils are also shooting 50.4 percent from the field (61-112) in the two games, up from 42.6 percent on the season.
ASU's first-round game with Eastern Kentucky marked one of the team's top offensive performances of the season. The Sun Devils scored 87 points, which marks the second highest offensive output of the season, trailing just a 102-30 victory over Prairie View A&M on Nov. 27. ASU made 15 of its first 21 shots against the Lady Colonels and finished the game shooting 59.3 percent from the field (35-59). That marked the third-highest shooting performance of the season for the Sun Devils who had come into the game making just 31.4 percent of their attempts (37-118) in the previous two contests. Two nights later, ASU shot 53.3 percent in the second half to come from behind and score 70 points in the team's victory over Notre Dame.
Notes from the Notre Dame Game Fifth-seeded ASU turned in a 70-61 victory over fourth-seeded Notre Dame on Monday night in Fresno, Calif., to earn the Sun Devils' first trip to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen in 22 years. ASU's aggressive defense, timely shooting and gritty determination earned the Sun Devils that coveted trip home for the Tempe Regional.
Senior point guard Kylan Loney scored eight points in the final 1:29 and finished with 20 and the 24th-ranked Sun Devils erased an early 13-point deficit to shock No. 11/13 Notre Dame. Sophomore Aubree Johnson had 12 points and nine rebounds, while junior Amy Denson added 11 points and eight rebounds off the bench for the spirited Sun Devils, who gained the momentum on senior Betsy Boardman's buzzer-beating 3-pointer at halftime, which narrowed the gap to 28-23 at the break.
ASU set the tone in the second half, scoring the first seven points and using an 18-4 lead to take a 41-32 advantage with 10:17 to play. After Jacqueline Batteast's putback pulled the Irish to 49-44 with 6:11 remaining, sophomore Emily Westerberg converted a three-point play on the other end for ASU, making an off-balance layup at 5:47. And junior Kristen Kovesdy answered a UND score with a fast-break layup at 3:30 to make it 58-50.
Batteast, the Big East Player of the Year, had 20 points, eight rebounds and three blocks in her final game for Notre Dame, which committed 23 turnovers and had only seven assists. Megan Duffy scored 20 of her 24 points after halftime. Duffy's two free throws with 2:34 made it 58-54, then freshman Reagan Pariseau swished a 12-footer at 2:06 to quell the Irish rally.
Westerberg's Ways Sophomore forward Emily Westerberg, a 2005 first-team All-Pac-10 honoree, is tied with junior Kristen Kovesdy and ranked 12th in the Pac-10 in scoring at 11.2 points per game, including a team-high 20 points in last week's first-round win over Eastern Kentucky. She is also tied for the team lead in rebounding with fellow sophomore forward Aubree Johnson at 4.9 boards per game. Westerberg has a chance to be the first Sun Devil to lead the team in scoring and rebounding since Pac-10 All-Freshman selection Theresa Jantzen accomplished the feat during her rookie year in 1998-99.
Westerberg has turned in 19 games in double figures this season, which is second on the team, including a career-best 26 points in a Jan. 22 win over Oregon. She scored 18 points in ASU's Dec. 21 upset of eighth-ranked Connecticut and moved into the team rebounding lead after averaging 5.6 boards per game in Pac-10 play. She pulled down 11 rebounds Jan. 14 at UCLA and had a career-best 14 Jan. 20 vs. Oregon State. Westerberg turned in her first career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds vs. UCLA on Feb. 12.
A first-team Pac-10 All-Freshman selection last season, Westerberg continues to be outstanding from the free throw line. She is ranked third in the Pac-10 and 29th in the nation at 84.1 percent from the charity stripe (95-113), including a 6-of-6 effort last week against the Lady Colonels. Westerberg has made 13 of her last 16 free throw attempts over the last five games, dating back to ASU's Pac-10 Tournament win over UCLA.
Aubree's Antics Sophomore forward Aubree Johnson has kicked her game up a notch in the last three weeks, averaging 9.1 points (73) and 6.4 rebounds (51) over the last eight games, including 10 points and a team-best five boards Saturday vs. the Lady Colonels. Two nights later, she narrowly missed the first double-double of her career with 12 points and nine rebounds vs. No. 11/13 Notre Dame. Johnson ranks fifth on the team with 5.9 points per game and is tied for the lead with 4.9 boards per outing. She has led the team in rebounding in each of the last three games, averaging 8.7 boards per contest in that stretch.
Johnson scored a career-best 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting in ASU's Jan. 24 win over Washington and matched that career mark with 14 points in ASU's Pac-10 Tournament semifinal victory over Oregon. She played one of the finest minutes of basketball ASU has gotten this year in that game vs. the Ducks, scoring six points, including the go-ahead leaning jumper, and grabbing the game-clinching steal in the final 47 seconds of that game. She followed that effort up with 12 rebounds, including seven offensive boards (both career highs), to go along with six points in ASU's Pac-10 Championship game loss to No. 1/2 Stanford.
Keeping Up with Kovesdy Junior forward Kristen Kovesdy is leading the Pac-10 in field goal percentage, shooting 61.7 percent from the field (163-264), including a perfect 7-of-7 night Feb. 26 against Washington, a 9-of-11 effort last Saturday against Eastern Kentucky and a 5-of-8 outing in ASU's second-round victory over Notre Dame.
Kovesdy has also moved into first on the ASU career field goal percentage chart at 56.6 percent (372-657), just ahead of Melody Johnson who shot 56.2 percent from 2000-02. At 61.7 percent this year, Kovesdy is also on pace to shatter ASU's single-season shooting mark. Monique Ambers holds the current school mark with a 58.8 percent effort in 1992-93 (142-243).
Kovesdy is tied for first on the team with sophomore Emily Westerberg and 12th in the Pac-10 in scoring at 11.2 points per game this season. Kovesdy has been on a tear lately, shooting 69.8 percent from the field in the last seven games (44-63) and averaging 12.7 points per game in that stretch (89 points).
Kovesdy has paced the Sun Devils in scoring in a team-best 12 games and is first on the squad with 20 games in double figures for scoring. She turned in a season-high 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting in ASU's win against Gonzaga in the championship game of the Wells Fargo Holiday Classic on Dec. 4 and led the Sun Devils with 19 points and seven rebounds in their quarterfinal win over UCLA in the Pac-10 Tournament, knocking down 9-of-13 field goal attempts.
Bench Production The Sun Devil bench has outscored its last five opponents 88-35, including a 20-0 advantage over No. 11/13 Notre Dame in ASU's NCAA second-round victory. ASU has gotten 23.2 points per game from its reserves in the last 10 contests and has outscored its opponents 232-89 in that stretch. On the season, ASU holds an 18-4 record when outscoring its opponent's bench.
Junior forward Amy Denson is the team's leading scorer and rebounder off the bench, turning in 6.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. Denson turned in another strong performance off the bench in the Pac-10 Tournament with 15 points, six assists and five rebounds vs. UCLA. In NCAA Tournament action, Denson has averaged 9.5 points and 6.0 rebounds, including 11 points and eight rebounds vs. No. 11/13 Notre Dame. In ASU's first-round game with Eastern Kentucky, she turned in eight points, four rebounds, a team-high four steals and two assists.
More Balanced Than A Scale The Sun Devils have gotten balanced scoring so far this year with eight different players leading the team in scoring in the team's 33 games. ASU's two NCAA Tournament games have been no exception with at least three players in double figures in each of the two contests. Sophomore Emily Westerberg had 20 and junior Kristen Kovesdy added 18 points vs. Eastern Kentucky, while senior Kylan Loney led four players in double figures with 20 points in ASU's second-round win over No. 11/13 Notre Dame.
ASU has two players averaging in double figures and ranked in the Pac-10's top 15 for scoring (and another just under 10 points per game) with less than two points separating the trio. Westerberg and Kovesdy are tied for the team lead and ranked 12th in the league at 11.2 points per game, while Loney is third on the team and just out of the league's top 20 at 9.5 points per game. ASU has eight players averaging at least 3.0 points per game this year.
Kovesdy has led the team in scoring 12 times, while Westerberg has accomplished the feat seven times. Westerberg turned in 18 points in ASU's Dec. 21 win over No. 8 Connecticut and a career-best (and team season-high) 26 points in a Jan. 22 win over Oregon, while Kovesdy's 19 points in the Pac-10 quarterfinals vs. UCLA were just two shy of her season high of 21 she has accomplished twice this year (most recently on 8-of-11 shooting vs. Cal on Feb. 3). Loney scored a season-high 23 points, including 5-of-9 three-point attempts, in ASU's Dec. 7 victory at then No. 11/14 Georgia.
In addition to scoring, the Sun Devils are also getting balanced rebounding this season with eight different players leading the team in the category in at least one game. Westerberg and sophomore Aubree Johnson are tied for the team lead with 4.9 rebounds per game each with senior Carrie Buckner (4.4) and junior Amy Denson (4.0) trailing closely behind. Westerberg pulled down a career-best 14 rebounds Jan. 20 against Oregon State, while Johnson had a career-high 14 boards (seven offensive) in the Pac-10 Tournament championship game vs. No. 1/2 Stanford on March 7. Seven Sun Devils are averaging at least 2.0 boards per contest this season.
Getting Defensive Arizona State has established itself as one of the top defensive teams in the Pac-10 Conference and the nation. The Sun Devils have led the league in at least one defensive category in each of the last seven seasons (1998-99 to present). This season, ASU is pacing the Pac-10 in scoring defense (54.0 points per game) for the third time in school history, rebounding defense (31.8 rebounds per game) for the fourth time in five years and three-point defense (25.5 percent) for the fourth straight season and the sixth time in seven years. ASU is also ranked 13th in the nation in scoring defense.
ASU is on pace to set its school single-season marks in all three categories - scoring, rebounding and three-point defense. The 2001-02 squad holds the school record for fewest points allowed at 59.1, while ASU will likely break the Pac-10 record for scoring defense, currently held by Stanford which gave up just 58.4 points per game in 2003-04. Last year's squad allowed the fewest rebounds in school history at 32.2, while ASU is well below the 27.1 percent from three-point land that the 1998-99 team allowed.
This season, ASU has held 21 of its 33 opponents under 60 points, 13 to 50 points or fewer and four under 40 points. The Sun Devils set the school record for fewest points by a Pac-10 opponent in a 50-38 win over Oregon State on Jan. 20 and tied the school mark for fewest points allowed in all games after holding Prairie View A&M to just 30 points on Nov. 27. The very next game, ASU almost tied the school record again with a 71-31 victory over Alabama State. ASU also outrebounded Prairie View A&M 43-9 in the win.
In the last seven seasons (since the start of the 1998-99 season to present), ASU has held its opponents to just 61.4 points and 33.7 rebounds per game and 28.8 percent shooting from beyond the arc (13,022 pts, 7,140 rbs, 577-2000 treys, 212 games).
Against Ranked Opponents Saturday's contest against No. 4/2 North Carolina will mark ASU's 10th contest against a ranked opponent this year. ASU holds a 5-4 record against ranked opponents this season, including a 61-50 upset of No. 8/8 Connecticut on Dec. 21 and its 70-61 victory over No. 11/13 Notre Dame in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
All four of ASU's losses have come against teams ranked No. 1 in the national polls at one point this year (Nov. 12 at then No. 3/2 LSU and three losses to now top-ranked Stanford). ASU's 67-57 win at No. 11/14 Georgia on Dec. 7 marked the team's first victory over a ranked opponent on the road since the Sun Devils defeated then No. 15 USC 64-55 on March 11, 1993.
ASU's last win over a team ranked in the top five came against then No. 2 Stanford when the Sun Devils upset the Cardinal 70-63 on March 4 in the 2002 Pac-10 Tournament championship game.
20-Win Seasons With a 24-9 record, the Sun Devils have turned in the seventh 20-win season in school history and the third under ninth-year head coach Charli Turner Thorne. ASU also stands just one win shy of the school record for single-season victories. The Sun Devils tied the school record for single-season victories with a 25-9 record in 2001-02. Turner Thorne has become just the second Sun Devil mentor to turn in three 20-wins seasons (Juliene Simpson is the other).
ASU's 20-Win Seasons 25-7 1981-82 (NCAA Sweet Sixteen) 25-9 2001-02 (Pac-10 Tourney Champs, NCAA Second Round) 23-7 1982-83 (NCAA Sweet Sixteen) 24-9 2004-05 (NCAA bid) 20-9 1991-92 (NCAA First Round) 20-11 2000-01 (Pac-10 Co-Champions, NCAA First Round)
Turner Thorne First in All-Time Wins at ASU With ASU's 44-42 victory at then No. 19 UCLA on Jan. 14, ninth-year head coach Charli Turner Thorne became the all-time winningest coach in Arizona State University women's basketball history. She now holds a 147-121 record at ASU and has passed Juliene Simpson who notched a 134-92 mark in eight seasons in Tempe (1979-87).
Turner Thorne has led her Sun Devils to a school-record six consecutive postseason bids, including NCAA Tournament appearances in 2001, 2002 and 2005. Turner Thorne is the only coach in school history to lead the team to five consecutive winning seasons as well as three NCAA Tournament appearances, while with this year's 23-9 mark, she has also become the second Sun Devil mentor to turn in three 20-wins seasons (Juliene Simpson is the other).
Since Turner Thorne took over the reins of the program in 1996-97, the Sun Devils have regained the national prominence the team enjoyed in the early 1990s. In 2000-01, Turner Thorne's Sun Devils captured ASU's first Pac-10 Championship, an NCAA berth, a return to the national rankings and the team's first 20-win season in nine years, while her 2001-02 squad tied the school mark for single-season wins with a 25-9 record, advanced to the NCAA Tournament and won the inaugural Pac-10 Tournament Championship.
A Little Help From Their Friends With 561 assists this year, ASU has set the school single-season record in the category. The team has shattered the previous school mark of 476 set by the 2001-02 Pac-10 Tournament championship squad. Last year, ASU finished just one assist shy of the previous school record with 475 (16.4 dishes per game).
ASU ranks first in the Pac-10 and 21st in the nation with an average of 17.0 assists per game, including 25 in last week's victory over Eastern Kentucky. The Sun Devils have had assists on 71.9 percent of their field goals this season (561 on 780 field goals), including 23 of 28 March 5 against UCLA. ASU has four players with 70 or more assists this year, led by senior Kylan Loney who is averaging 3.0 assists (99 total). With 395 career assists, Loney has moved into third place in the Sun Devil record book and needs just one more to tie for second all time at ASU. Loney has averaged 5.7 assists per game in the last six contests (34), including a career-best nine in ASU's Feb. 26 Senior Day victory over Washington State and again last week vs. Eastern Kentucky. She has also turned in an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.8 in that stretch (34 assists to 12 turnovers).
Senior Carrie Buckner (2.4 per game) is second on the squad in assists, while sophomore Emily Westerberg (72) and junior Amy Denson (70) are virtually tied for third at 2.2 and 2.1 assists per contest, respectively. Buckner has the best overall assist-to-turnover ratio on the squad (1.63) with 80 assists and 49 turnovers. She would rank fourth in the Pac-10 in the category but falls short of the minimum of 3.0 assists per game.
Loney Sets Career Three-Point Marks Senior Kylan Loney is ASU's career-leading three-point shooter, draining 158 three-pointers in her four years in Tempe. The 2004 first-team All-Pac-10 selection set the ASU career mark with a pair of treys Jan. 26 at Arizona, passing Crystal Cobb who had 134 from 1989-94. Fellow senior Betsy Boardman ranks third on the ASU career list with 133 three-pointers made, while Loney has also holds ASU's career attempts mark with 449.
This season, Loney has shot 36.2 percent from three-point land (55-152), which ranks eighth in the Pac-10, while her 1.67 treys per game are fourth in the league. With 55 three-pointers made this season, she ranks fourth on the ASU single-season charts, just five behind the school-record 60 that Amanda Levens had in 2000-01. Loney has turned in three of the top nine efforts on that list.
Loney ranks third on the team (and just out of the Pac-10's top 20) in scoring at 9.5 points per game. She had been leading the squad in scoring but fell to third with 8.3 ppg in league action. In ASU's Dec. 7 upset of No. 11/14 Georgia, Loney tied her career bests with five three-pointers and nine three-point attempts and was named the U.S. Bank Pac-10 Player of the Week for the second time in her career. Against Stanford on Jan. 7, she knocked down 4-of-4 three-pointers and finished second on the team with 14 points, while she was also second on the squad with 18 points with four treys in ASU's Pac-10 Tournament quarterfinals victory over UCLA last week.
1,000-Point & 500-Rebound Clubs With 13 points Jan. 20 against Oregon State, senior Betsy Boardman became the 14th Sun Devil in school history to join the 1,000-point club. The fifth-year senior, who has come back from two ACL tears (one in each knee), now has 1,063 career points which ranks 10th all time at ASU. Boardman has played in 124 career games with 95 starts and has averaged 8.6 points per game in her ASU career.
Senior Carrie Buckner has also joined an elite group of Sun Devils who have pulled down 500 career rebounds. At just 5-9, Buckner has grabbed 567 boards in her four years in Tempe, which is tied for sixth all time in the ASU record books.
Sun Devil Quick Hits
... Including its wins over Eastern Kentucky and Notre Dame last week in Fresno, Calif., ASU holds a 7-1 record this season in games played at neutral sites. The Sun Devils won their first five contests of the year on neutral floors before falling to Stanford in the championship game of the Pac-1o Tournament at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, an arena just 18 miles from the Cardinals' Palo Alto campus.
... Senior Carrie Buckner is leading the team and ranked fifth in the Pac-10 with 2.3 steals per game. She has had a season-high five steals four times this year, most recently on Monday against the Fighting Irish. She is averaging 3.5 steals per game in NCAA Tournament, which is tied for third in the nation.
... Buckner is also ranked third on the ASU career list with 230 steals in her four seasons in Tempe. She needs just one more to move into a tie for second place all time at ASU.
... ASU holds a 13-0 record when holding teams to 50 points or less this season, while head coach Charli Turner Thorne is 37-2 in her nine years at ASU when the Sun Devils hold teams to 50 or fewer points.
... ASU is 10-0 when scoring 70 points or more this year, including a 2-0 mark in the NCAA Tournament. The Sun Devils hold an 18-0 record this season when scoring 60 points or more and are 20-2 when holding teams to 59 points or less.
... ASU is 20-1 when leading at halftime this season. The team lost its only game when leading at the half Jan. 26 at Arizona. The Sun Devils led 27-23 at halftime in Tucson but were outscored 33-22 in the second half in the 56-49 loss.
Attendance Records With 8,927 fans in attendance at the team's Dec. 21 upset of three-time defending NCAA champion Connecticut, Arizona State broke the school single-game women's basketball attendance mark for Wells Fargo Arena. The team set the school single-game attendance record on Dec. 27, 2000 when 16,782 fans showed up to watch the team play Tennessee at Bank One Ballpark in the AstraZeneca Hoops for the Cure Classic. Prior to ASU's Dec. 21 victory over UConn, the biggest crowd to see a women's basketball game at Wells Fargo Arena came on Dec. 8, 2002 with 7,274 fans at the Notre Dame game in the AstraZeneca Hoops for the Cure Classic II.
ASU averaged 2,429 fans per home game, which is the highest total in school history and ranks 46th in the nation. The 2000-01 Pac-10 co-championship squad held the previous school mark with 2,384 fans per home game.
No Noe This season marks the second straight year that ASU has been without the services of 2003 Pac-10 All-Freshman selection Jill Noe. After leading the team in scoring and turning in a sensational rookie campaign in 2002-03, she tore the ACL in her left knee in October of 2003 and missed all of last year. Noe again tore the same ACL in June and was forced to sit out all of this season.