(Photo: Scotty Bara/WCSN)
Following a dominating 62-48 victory over a talented Washington team, Arizona State will look to carry over that momentum into tonight’s matchup against Washington State.
Against Washington, the Sun Devils (12-1) went on a 20-3 run at the end of the first half and into the start of the second to blow the game wide open, getting up by as many as 28 points. Though ASU did take its foot off the gas in the latter stages of the game, the final result was still a 14-point blowout.
Washington State (10-2) has looked good so far this season, with its only losses coming against Nebraska and Michigan. In their most recent contest, the Cougars took down the Arizona Wildcats 81-70.
Keys to the Game:
-Get on Runs
The Sun Devils showed against Washington that if they are able to get on runs early and often, they are a dominating team. They pushed the tempo in the early-going, causing 24 turnovers and scoring 25 points off those turnovers. If the Sun Devils can keep up their aggression on defense, it will allow them to get an early lead.
-Lia and Tia
The Cougars have a pair of high-scoring players in Lia Galdeira (19.6 points per game) and Tia Presley (19.3 points per game). Promise Amukamara, Arizona State’s best defensive player, tends to draw the assignment of the top scorer, but with multiple high-caliber offensive players on the court, the rest of the Sun Devils will need to step up and contain these two from taking over the game.
-Crash the Boards
Washington State has the worst rebounding margin in the Pac-12 (-0.1 rebounds), meaning that other teams pull down more rebounds than it does. Arizona State on the other hand has the third best rebounding margin in the conference (+6.8 rebounds). The Sun Devil bigs will need to box out and crash the boards in order to shut down any Washington State second-chance opportunities.
X-Factor:
The X-factor for tonight’s game is guard Katie Hempen. With post players Sophie Brunner and Quinn Dornstauder dominating as of late, Washington State will have to pull players to help on the inside, allowing Hempen to get open on the perimeter. If she can knock down the long ball, it will create some major separation on the scoreboard.
Prediction:
After seeing Arizona State’s dominating win against Washington, it is apparent that the Sun Devils have the ability to contend for a Pac-12 title this season. The Sun Devils play especially well on their home court, so a double-digit victory is in store for the Sun Devils at Wells Fargo Arena tonight.
Tip-off is at 7 p.m. in Tempe.
