ASU survives again

LOS ANGELES – Arizona State missed every kind of shot possible in the first 12 1/2 minutes, from layups to short jumpers to 3-pointers.

And the Sun Devils weren’t coming close.

“I’m not going to comment on what I was saying inside,” coach Charli Turner Thorne said.

She said that with a smile, something she could afford to do because her Sun Devils rallied to beat Louisville 67-58 Monday night despite missing their first 15 shots. The victory moved ASU into the third round of the NCAA women’s tournament for the second time in three years.

The Sun Devils needed their second major comeback in two games to make that happen, rallying from a 14-point deficit in the final 11 minutes.

“We knew there was a point when we were going to turn it around because of our defense,” said ASU’s Emily Westerberg from Central Valley, who scored 12 points.

The 10th-ranked Sun Devils (30-4) face the winner of tonight’s game between No. 2 seeded Vanderbilt and No. 7 Bowling Green in Saturday’s round of 16 at Greensboro, N.C.

Briann January from Lewis and Clark matched her career high with 22 points to lead the Sun Devils, who won by outscoring the Cardinals 31-8 to finish the game. After shooting 6 of 29 in the first half, they went 15 of 29 the second half.

ASU’s pressure defense helped force 19 Cardinals turnovers, 13 in the second half.

Jazz Covington led Louisville (27-8) with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Angel McCoughtry, the Big East Player of the Year averaging 21.9 points and 10.6 rebounds, was held to seven points and three rebounds before fouling out with 57.9 seconds left. She played only 20 minutes because of fouls.

January was the primary defender on McCoughtry.

“I definitely think that was the biggest key …,” Turner Thorne said. “Briann did a great job denying her the ball.”