(Photo: ASU Athletics)
On an afternoon where Arizona State women’s basketball legend Kym Hampton was honored for her impressive All American career, the current Arizona State team mimicked it, putting up an impressive win of their own.
Arizona State took on Southern Methodist University and took them down, 77-42. SMU couldn’t recover from letting ASU go several runs, including an 11-0 run to start the game and the 30-1 run ASU went on from the end of the first to the start of the second.
There was a point in the first half where it looked like SMU might be able to mount a comeback, bringing the deficit down to five late in the second half, but right when it got close, ASU’s shooters reappeared, with Katie Hempen putting up 15 points, and Elisha Davis close behind with 11. ASU had four players reach double digits tonight
While the shooting was remarkable, what gave ASU the constant opportunities to put up points was their stout defense. ASU tried out a new look on defense for tonight’s game, going man full court, which helped cause 21 turnovers. And when SMU got shots off, they weren’t good looks. SMU had a 31 field goal percentage, and were just 17/55 inside the arc. ASU also held SMU 12 minutes from making a single shot, with the exception of a free throw by Destynee Hives-McCray.
Player of the Game: Peace Amukamara
Coming off of the bench, Amukamara battled every second she was on the court. Not only did she put up 11 points, she was also constantly fighting for rebounds and attacked any loose ball on the court. Even though this is her first year in Division I basketball, she had everything going tonight. With a stat line that includes 11 points, eight rebounds, and six assists, it’s clear that Amukamara was dominant this afternoon.
Stat of the Night: Bench Points
ASU’s bench disappeared in the last few games after having a strong start to the season, but it came back tonight. ASU had 28 points from the bench, which is a season high. Peace Amukamara led the bench with 11 points, followed by Quinn Dornstauder and Ayanna Edwards who both had six points on the night. In order for ASU to be successful, they must continue to have a strong bench presence.
Biggest Concern: Field Goal Percentage
There wasn’t much that went wrong in the game for ASU today, but one thing that can definitely be improved on is their field goal percentage. ASU finished the night at 44 percent which isn’t horrible, but could definitely be better.
