Sun Devils survive scare from UC Riverside

LOS ANGELES – Upstart UC Riverside appeared to be nothing more than a minor hurdle for third-seeded Arizona State. Instead, the Sun Devils needed a furious second-half rally to avoid one of the biggest upsets in NCAA tournament history.

Briann January, a Lewis and Clark High graduate, scored 15 points, Danielle Orsillo added 13, and third-seeded ASU rallied from a 15-point deficit to beat the 14th-seeded Highlanders 57-50 on Saturday night in a first-round game of the Greensboro Regional.

ASU pulled out the victory by outscoring UCR 19-2 after Chanel Foster’s basket with just under 8 minutes remaining gave the Highlanders a 48-38 lead.

Aubree Johnson (Post Falls) had 11 points and 10 rebounds for No. 10 ASU (29-4), which will face sixth-seeded Louisville (27-7) in a second-round game Monday night.

The Sun Devils trailed 32-25 after a miserable first half in which they shot 9 of 27. Emily Westerberg (Central Valley) and Johnson, ASU’s senior leaders and top scorers, combined for only six points in the half.

Westerberg made two free throws with 2:28 remaining in the game to put the Sun Devils ahead for good.