ASU Basketball: ASU vs Washington State Preview
The ASU Basketball women’s team broke their four-game losing streak this past weekend with a close win over Oregon, and look to get another victory as they travel to Washington to face Washington State.
Last time ASU basketball faced the Cougars was back in January and won with a substantial lead, but this was coming off of a three-game win streak and fresh legs in the game. Fatigue has been detrimental to the team in the second half of their season and could pose a problem in this matchup.
The Cougars are coming off a solid win against Utah with an impressive performance in working the perimeter on offense. The team shot roughly 58 percent from the three point line, and sank over half of their free throws. Though ASU has one of the strongest three-point defenses in the conference, fouls leading to free throws could give Wazzou the upper hand.
Washington State also finished out with 35 rebounds for the night which is huge in terms of possession. The Devils have been giving up too many rebounds recently and unable to box out to get the rebound and could prove fatal in tonight’s game.
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If ASU can shut down the perimeter and stay strong defensively in the paint, they could hold the Cougars to a low shooting percentage. Rebounds will be huge this game especially once the team begins to feel fatigued.
Sophie Brunner and Quinn Dornstauder have remained strong in the last few games, but teams have really beaten the two up and that takes a toll on the seniors as they carry the team through each game.
Sabrina Haines has made a comeback this half of the season with solid performances against both Oregon State and Oregon. She sank 5-8 field goals and 4-5 from the three-point line, contributing to her 14 total points in the game.
Despite Haines stepping up, Robbi Ryan has dropped off as of recently as far as stats go. Ryan stepped up for the Devils against UCLA and USC, but hasn’t been shooting well as of late. Her aggressive presence on the court has helped the team in other ways, but sinking shots tonight is important for her as she finished out her first season.
Tonight’s game will be in Pullman, Washington with tip-off at 8 p.m. MST and can be seen on the WSU Live Stream.
