Happy homecoming
PULLMAN – An abundance of talent, relentless pressure and motivation. The 21st-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils had all of those and used them effectively.
Led by Emily Westerberg, a sophomore out of Central Valley, and a deep bench that included sophomore Aubree Johnson of Post Falls and freshman Regan Pariseau from CV, the Sun Devils kicked off the Pac-10 women’s basketball season Monday night by rolling over Washington State 67-39 at Friel Court.
“It was a little up and down but we definitely had some good stretches,” Johnson said. “It’s good to come off the Christmas break with a win. Us Washington and Idaho girls like to play near our hometown. It was fun.”
With 10 players logging at least 13 minutes, the Sun Devils (9-2) held the Cougars (4-6) to 29 percent shooting and forced 22 turnovers that produced 20 points, much to the delight of about half of the 1,020 fans.
That avenged a 75-72 loss to WSU last year in the final game of the regular season.
“Last year was on our mind,” said Westerberg, who missed that game with a sprained ankle. “This is a tough trip because of the long plane ride … but we don’t want to lose ever.”
Westerberg had 11 points, all in the first half, the first nine coming as the Sun Devils opened a 16-6 lead. The other two forwards, Amy Denson and Kristen Kosvesdy, also had 11 points.
Pariseau scored eight and had a season-high 22 minutes because starting point guard Kylan Loney was under the weather.
“It definitely felt like it was a season high tonight,” Pariseau said. “Coach just told me to be ready. … I thought I played well. … It felt like a home crowd, we had all that family support.”
Johnson had three points and six rebounds.
“I thought we played hard for the most part; I thought we had a lot of poise,” ASU coach Charlie Turner Thorne said. “We went through that drought of not being able to score. Washington State picked up its defense and I think we got a little impatient because we wanted to score a little too quickly.”
Westerberg hit a 3 from the top of the key that started a 9-0 run, which capped a 15-2 run that made it 20-6 midway through the first half. A 12-2 run made it 32-12 late in the first half. It was 32-15 at halftime. WSU shot just 30 percent and had 14 turnovers.
“The key to the game was attacking their pressure,” WSU coach Sherri Murrell said. “It just didn’t feel like we did that. Our transition game wasn’t going as well as we thought we could.”
Denson started the second half with a 3-pointer that kicked the ASU lead back to 20, but then Keisha Moore and Charmaine Jones fueled a 13-0 run that got the Cougs within 7 at 35-28 with 11:58 to play.
Loney responded with a 3 that started an 18-2 run to push the lead back to 53-31 with 5:46 to go. During that game-deciding run the Cougs missed six shots and had three turnovers.
WSU’s leading scorer, sophomore Adriane Ferguson, a teammate of ASU’s local connection during the summer of her high school days with the Spokane Stars, was held to six points.
“She was the focus of our pregame,” said Westerberg, who defended Ferguson most of the time. “She’s great. She’s a great shooter and she’s so much stronger than she was.”
“It was great. I love those three guys,” Ferguson said. “They’re my friends, but on the court we get competitive. We talk to each other when we’re out there. It’s just a good, clean, healthy rivalry.”
Ariana Scales led WSU with 10 points.
“I love it when our whole bench plays and they contribute and give us the things they’re able to give us,” Turner Thorn said. “I really think that’s the strength of our team … . We created a little drama for ourselves in the second half, but other than that … . I think this is a tough place to play. Sherri is doing a good job and they continue to get better… . I just think we’re pretty good. I keep not wanting to say that, but I do.”
ASU plays at Washington on Wednesday with Arizona coming in to play WSU.
Arizona 67, Washington 63
Dee-Dee Wheeler scored all her 18 points in the second half as the Wildcats (9-2) opened the Pac-10 with a win over the Huskies (4-7) in Seattle.
Two Wildcats starters left the game with injuries, Shawntinice Polk (right knee) in the final minute with 15 points and 12 rebounds, and Jessica Arnold (shoulder) in the final minute of the first half. She did not return.