Arizona State women’s basketball has long been challenged in the Pac-12 Conference, a stronghold for the sport.
Saturday’s 70-55 loss to No. 7 USC at Desert Financial Arena marked the end of the era for the Sun Devils, as they played their final regular-season game in the conference.
True freshman guard JuJu Watkins was as dominant as advertised, recording 26 points, including 11 in the first quarter. Watkins has been lighting up the NCAA with 27.9 points per game, the second-highest in the nation behind Iowa’s Caitlin Clark.
Sloppy play and rough shooting characterized the first four minutes of the game as both teams combined for 3-for-13 on the floor.
It wasn’t until Watkins willed her way to the rim that USC began to see more shots fall through. Backed by Watkins’ six points, including a 3-pointer, USC used a 7-0 run to build a 9-2 lead midway through the first quarter.
ASU struggled with getting past USC’s defense, which accounted for 10 blocks. The Trojans severely limited ASU’s second-chance scoring with 38 defensive rebounds and no second-chance points in the game. USC scored 21 second-chance points.
“It was those second and third opportunities, 21-0, and that’s where we have to continue to grow,” ASU head coach Natasha Adair said. “It’s a will and a want to. It doesn’t matter with height. It’s positioning and physicality and all these different things.”
After the Trojans brought in the bench to close the game, the Sun Devils rallied late and finished shooting 5-for-7 from the floor.
The Sun Devils stepped up defensively on the glass with 28 defensive rebounds. Overall, the Trojans possessed a strong glass game with 54 rebounds to ASU’s 34.
Key moments
ASU struggled to keep up with USC coming into the second half and was outscored 12-4 in the first five minutes.
Watkins didn’t make it easier for the Sun Devils after a relatively quieter second quarter where she scored four points. Within under a minute, the freshman rattled off six points, including two layups off turnovers from Trayanna Crisp, to give the Trojans a 51-30 lead.
The Sun Devils made it interesting later in the quarter, finishing with a 7-0 run punctuated by a layup from Jalyn Brown in the final nine seconds.
Top performers
Jalyn Brown led ASU in shot attempts with 19 and recorded 17 points on seven field goals. Trayanna Crisp added 16 points and went 3-for-4 from the 3-point line.
Isadora Sousa led with eight rebounds, adding nine points and one 3-pointer.
Sandra Magolico sparked the bench with six points and two rebounds in the second half.
ASU honored seniors Jaddan Simmons, Maggie Besselink, and Treasure Hunt ahead of the game. Besselink (ACL) and Hunt (personal reasons) have missed significant time this season. Simmons’ status for returning next season for a fifth year is unknown to the program.
“We don’t know what the future holds, but we honor the time that she’s had here. We want to continue to honor that time in that uniform while we still have time to play,” Adair said.
They said it
“The beauty of it is that the third season in Vegas and we’ve seen every team. We’ve been in pretty much every game and now to go and let the madness begin, we’ve got to put it all together. You can’t wait and you can’t have lows and single-digit quarters. All five players on the court at the time have to be moving on the same beat, same rhythm, same strength. This is a group that’s still hungry and growing in every way.” — head coach Natasha Adair on going to the Pac-12 Tournament.
“Since I am young, I just want to learn from my seniors. Izzy (Sousa), I learn a lot from her on and off the court. On the court, IQ-wise, she started using the behind-the-back pass and I started using it. I picked up on little things from her. Jaddan, I’m trying to be like her and be steady and not get too high or too low. They’re just great leaders and role models.” — guard Trayanna Crisp on the senior class.
Up next
ASU (11-19, 3-15) will head to the Pac-12 Women’s Basketball Tournament beginning Wednesday at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The Sun Devils are projected to be the No. 11 seed and will play No. 6 Utah, which lost 62-47 to Washington on Saturday.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: ASU women’s basketball unable to keep up with USC in Pac-12 finale
