Dec. 29, 2003
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) - Sophomore Kristen Kovesdy scored a career-high 29 points and stole the long inbounds pass as time expired in overtime to give Arizona State an 84-81 win over Washington in Pacific-10 Conference play Monday night at Wells Fargo Arena.
Kovesdy made 12 of 14 field goals and 5 of 7 free throws and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds for the Sun Devils (8-3, 2-0). With the victory, Arizona State won its eighth straight home game and opened the Pac-10 season with a 2-0 mark for just the second time in school history.
Junior Kylan Loney made two free throws with 2.2 seconds remaining to secure the victory, the Sun Devils' sixth in their last seven games.
Washington (7-4, 0-2) erased an eight-point deficit in the final 5:21, capped by senior Giuliana Mendiola's layup with 1.6 seconds left to send the game into the extra period.
Arizona State led 78-77 when Mendiola -- who led the Huskies with 26 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists -- committed her fifth foul on junior Carrie Buckner with 1:54 left. Buckner made 1 of 2 free throws, but Kovesdy made both of hers 20 seconds later to give Arizona State an 81-77 lead.
Mendiola's sister, Gioconda, made two free throws with 1:23 left and senior Andrea Lalum made a 16-footer with 36 seconds left to cut the lead to 82-81. The Sun Devils worked the clock down to five seconds when junior Betsy Boardman missed a shot and redshirt freshman Jill Bell knocked the loose ball out of bounds. Gioconda Mendiola fouled Loney with 2.2 seconds left to set up the final points.
Boardman had 15 points and five assists for the Sun Devils. Freshman Emily Westerberg also tied her career high with 11 points, while sophomore Amy Denson also added 11 points.
Lalum had 21 points and Bell added 12 for Washington, which has lost three of its last four games and was ranked 24th in this week's coaches' poll.
Arizona State outscored Washington 38-8 inside despite getting out-rebounded 40-34. The Sun Devils also missed 13 of 39 free throws on the night.
The Sun Devils return to action on Friday night, traveling to Tucson to take on the Arizona Wildcats. The game tips off at 7 p.m. Mountain Time and can be heard locally on NBC 1190 AM or via the internet at www.thesundevils.com.