Women's basketball beats UC Riverside
Dymond Simon scored a game-high 15 points and Kali Bennett grabbed 11 rebounds as the Arizona State women's basketball team improved to 2-0 with a 58-47 win over UC Riverside on Sunday.
For the second time in as many games, the Sun Devils held a superior advantage on the boards, outrebounding the Highlanders 50-23, including a 20-1 advantage on the offensive boards which translated into a plus-18 difference in second chance points (20-2).
The Sun Devils broke open the game with a 20-6 run over the first 8:15 of the second half to turn their three-point halftime advantage (24-21) into a 17-point lead (44-27).
UC Riverside (1-1) would slowly chip away at ASU's lead, getting within six points, 49-43 with 3:43 left. However the Sun Devils would double their advantage by reeling off the next six points to go on top 55-43 with 1:51 remaining.
"This was a good test for us," said ASU head coach Charli Turner Thorne following the game. "We knew it was going to be a good test. It was a quick turnaround to play on Friday night and then travel [on Saturday] for a road game on Sunday. UCR is good, veteran team. We knew it was going to be a tough game.
"I think we have to learn how to play with the lead. We let our foot off the gas, but we did not completely fall apart or anything like that. I think we kept our poise and just played through things. We haven't been tested [prior to Sunday] and we needed a game like this that we can learn from before we head to Knoxville next week."
Sunday's game was not one that will be remembered for its style points as neither team shot the ball well (ASU - 30.8 percent, UCR 34.0 percent). The two teams also combined for 42 turnovers (ASU - 22, UCR - 20).
In addition to their outstanding rebounding effort, the Sun Devils helped their cause with their effective aggressiveness on the offensive end. Several missed shots would result in putbacks and on many instances the Sun Devils were fouled while either driving to the basket or attempting to convert an offensive rebound.
By the end of the afternoon, the Sun Devils had attempted 20 more free throws (36-16) and had made 15 more (26-11) than their opponents. Simon (7-8 FTs), Tenaya Watson (5-6 FTs), Adrianne Thomas (4-6 FTs) and Kimberly Brandon (3-4 FTs) were ASU's most effective performers at the line on Sunday.
"It's going to be awhile before we are peaking," said Turner Thorne. "We are just really working to control the boards. We know if we can control the boards we can control the game and I'm thrilled with how we dominated the boards."
The Sun Devils return to action next Sunday when they travel to Knoxville, Tenn., to take on the fourth-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols.