Sun Devils hope to bask in glow of partisan fans

TEMPE, Ariz. – Through the season, the Arizona State University women never talked publicly about the tantalizing prospect of an NCAA regional semifinal game at home.

They sure thought about it, though.

Now the Sun Devils have made it, and they will need all the homecourt advantage they can muster against North Carolina in the semifinals of the Tempe Regional tonight.

The Tar Heels (29-3), ranked fourth nationally and the No. 1 seed in the region, have won 15 in a row. They blew out their first- and second-round opponents by an average of almost 30 points.

Those victories, though, came at home in Chapel Hill. Now the sneaker is on the other foot. The Tar Heels will be the ones facing a hostile crowd, expected to reach 8,000 to 9,000 at Wells Fargo Arena, where Arizona State (24-9) is 12-1 this season.

The Sun Devils feature a strong Spokane-area contingent: starter Emily Westerberg, a 6-0 sophomore forward from Central Valley who has averaged 11.2 ppg; part-time starter Aubree Johnson, a 6-2 sophomore from Post Falls (5.9 ppg); and reserve Reagan Pariseau, a 5-5 freshman guard from CV (3.4 ppg).

North Carolina’s sophomore point guard Ivory Latta said she’s ready.

“I like to play in front of crowds whether they’re with me or against me,” she said on Friday. “It’s not going to affect me any while I’m down here.”

No. 2 seed Baylor (29-3) and third-seeded Minnesota (26-7) meet in what promises to be a bruising matchup in today’s first semifinal game.

Latta, optimistically listed at 5-foot-6, pushes the upbeat tempo the Tar Heels love.

“She is a very passionate player, very skilled, fast, quick, athletic,” North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell said. “She can shoot the 3, but all that’s in a real small package. We list her at 5-6. If you ask her, she’ll say she’s 5-6, but I’m 5-6 and I’m taller than she is. She’s just a tremendous role model. All the kids love her because she’s their size.”

At 17.2 points per game, Latta leads four North Carolina players who average in double figures.

“There’s nothing we can say but good things about her and her teammates – hardworking, very athletic,” said ASU playmaker Kylan Loney. “But I really believe that we are the better team, and I think we will show a lot of people that (tonight).”

Yes, the unranked Sun Devils are confident, an attitude bolstered by regular-season victories at home over Connecticut and at Georgia.

“We’re very excited to be here,” said Sun Devils coach Charli Turner Thorne, “and yet we are not satisfied.”

Hatchell warns, however, that playing at home is not necessarily an advantage, especially with so much on the line.

“You get to sleep in your own bed,” she said, “but when you have a big crowd there, they put a lot of pressure on you to win. They’re supporting you, but they’re putting pressure on you. Sometimes more pressure can be on the home team than the visiting team.”

Loney, a 5-7 senior, scored eight of her 20 points in the last 1:29 of ASU’s second-round victory over fourth-seeded Notre Dame – and she did it with a broken nose.