Dec. 27, 2004
PULLMAN, Wash. - Three Sun Devils scored 11 points apiece as the 21st-ranked Arizona State women's basketball team downed Washington State 67-39 Monday night at WSU's Friel Court in the Pac-10 Conference opener for both teams.
With the win, Arizona State won for the eighth time in nine games and improved to 9-2 on the year, while Washington State (4-5) lost its third straight game. ASU also won its Pac-10 opener for the second straight season and just the fourth time in its 19 years in the league.
The Sun Devils made their return to the national rankings prior to the game on Monday, checking in at 21st in the Associated Press poll. ASU had climbed into the national rankings at No. 23 on Dec. 13 but fell out after a loss at New Mexico.
Arizona State took control of the game early, getting five points from junior Kristen Kovesdy to build an 11-4 lead with 13:34 to play. After a bucket by the Cougars, sophomore Emily Westerberg scored the first five points in a 9-0 ASU run, including a three-pointer, to make it 20-6. The Sun Devils went up 30-12 with 3:00 to play and led 32-15 at the half. Westerberg had all 11 of her points on 5-of-6 shooting in the first half for the Sun Devils.
In the second half, junior Amy Denson knocked down a three-pointer to put the Sun Devils up by 20, but Washington State went on a 13-0 run to cut the ASU lead to seven points, 35-28 with 11:58 to play. Senior Kylan Loney, who was battling a bout of the flu, knocked down a jumper and a three-pointer as the Sun Devils scored the next seven points to regain the double-digit lead and go up 42-28 with 10:38 to play. Washington State never got closer than 11 points, and ASU made 10-of-12 free throws down the stretch en route to the 67-39 victory.
Westerberg, Denson and Kovesdy each had 11 points to lead the Sun Devils, while sophomore Alisha Godette added season highs with nine points and seven rebounds. Sophomore Aubree Johnson and Betsy Boardman each pulled down four rebounds, and freshman Reagan Pariseau turned in eight points and a career-best four steals.
For Washington State, junior Ariana Scales scored 10 points to lead the team, while sophomore Kate Benz had eight points and 13 rebounds.
The Sun Devils outshot the Cougars 41.7 to 29.4 percent in the game, including 0-for-10 from three-point land, and forced 22 WSU turnovers.
Arizona State returns to action Wednesday night, traveling to Seattle to take on the Washington Huskies (4-7) at 7 p.m. Pacific (8 p.m. Mountain) at Bank of America Arena. UW fell to Arizona 67-63 in its Pac-10 opener on Monday night.
Wednesday's game at Washington will be televised by Fox Sports Arizona and Northwest, while all of ASU's games can be heard locally on NBC 1190 AM or on the internet at www.thesundevils.com with Jeff Munn calling the action.