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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

ASU in regional final

January sparks surprise win over Texas A&M

Lewis and Clark High School product Briann January scored 22 points Sunday to lead Arizona State into an Elite Eight matchup against undefeated Connecticut.  (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Tom Canavan Associated Press

TRENTON, N.J. – Texas A&M coach Gary Blair is jumping on the Arizona State bandwagon – to some extent.

If the Sun Devils play as well as they did in knocking off the Aggies 84-69 on Sunday in the Trenton regional semifinal, they have a shot to beat top-seeded and undefeated Connecticut and earn a berth in the Final Four.

“They were the better basketball team today,” Blair said after Arizona State (26-8) scorched his defensive-minded team for the most points in almost three years. “If they can play at that level, they can give Connecticut a good run, and Connecticut is one of the greatest teams I have ever seen.”

Arizona State played a near perfect game in upsetting the second-seeded Aggies (27-8). The Sun Devils shot a season-high 62 percent, got points from nine players, including 22 by Briann January, and did all the little things, winning the hustle plays, making the smart plays and even frustrating their opponents with several baskets as the shot clock was about to expire.

“We’re a program with a team that doesn’t have a lot of swag but has a quiet confidence,” Arizona State coach Charli Turner Thorne said. “We believe in ourselves. We can outwork teams. We’re a great basketball team. We choose to do the things we’re capable of doing. I felt like at the beginning of the year we can win championships.”

The current run by the Sun Devils might seem surprising since they lost leading scorer Dymond Simon to a knee injury earlier this month.

However, January has moved from the shooting guard to the point and everyone has stepped up.

“With us losing Dymond, it’s made us come together and be more cohesive on the court,” January said.

Arizona State will have to be at its best Tuesday night against Connecticut (36-0), which rallied from an eight-point first-half deficit to beat California 77-53, advancing to its 14th regional final in 16 years.

Turner Thorne admitted she looked at the bracket after the tournament was announced and wasn’t concerned about being in the same regional as the Huskies.

“What I said, it is an incredible opportunity to play the team to beat, the unbeaten team, the team that everyone’s picked to win the national championship. I’m so excited. It’s going to take an unbelievable effort to advance,” she said.

Danielle Orsillo added 15 points and Lauren Lacey had 14 for the Sun Devils, whose point total came against a team that allowed only 87 points in its two previous tournament games.

Tanisha Smith had 19 points and Takia Starks added 18 for the Aggies (27-8), who were looking to advance to the regional final for the second straight year. Danielle Gant added 13 points for Texas A&M, which shot 48 percent from the field.

Arizona State lost to Rutgers in 2007 in its only other regional final.