In the past week, ASU women's basketball head coach Charli Turner Thorne said she expected to get every team's best effort from here on out.
Arizona (11-8, 2-3 Pac-12) certainly met that expectation against the No. 8 Sun Devils (16-3, 7-0 Pac-12) on Friday, staying close throughout the game before a fourth quarter run led to their demise. ASU ended up winning 61-49 for its 13th consecutive win and a school-record 7-0 mark in the Pac-12.
The intensity of senior guard Elisha Davis proved vital in a hotly contested first leg of the Territorial Cup. Davis stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, five assists, five steals, three rebounds and only two turnovers.
With all of the ways that Davis contributed to the Sun Devils' second half surge, she refused to accept Friday's performance as the best game of her career — primarily due to her struggles defending Arizona's leading scorer, junior guard Malena Washington, who had 14.
In typical Davis fashion, she put a career night by the wayside and only talked about what she could have done better.
"I played horrible defense," Davis said. "I mean yeah, I scored, but when you defend another person, you don't want to allow them to do what they want to do."
Junior forward Sophie Brunner was successful in what Davis said she failed it: scoring, then preventing Arizona on the other end of the floor. Brunner notched an impressive seven steals to go with 15 points and five rebounds.
With Davis patting her on the leg in acknowledgment of her efforts, Brunner said the steals were a product of her team's overall defensive pressure. ASU forced as season-high 27 total turnovers in this game.
"Just being in the right position was a big key," Brunner said.
The Wildcats were in a good position after the first quarter, leading 18-17 and shooting 67 percent while pounding the Sun Devils on the glass.
ASU managed only three rebounds in the first quarter and four in the second. Additionally, it struggled to attack the gaps in Arizona's 2-3 zone defense, often settling for contested outside shots that frequently fell short.
"When we didn't come out just lighting it up from the perimeter, (Arizona) sagged," Turner Thorne said. "You've gotta pick your poison with us. If we're firing on all cylinders, it's not gonna matter."
With all of those factors playing a part, the game was tied 26-26 at the half.
The third quarter was when ASU truly separated itself. Brunner scored eight of her 15 points to catalyze a Sun Devil run that saw them jump out to a 47-40 lead after three.
Just like how she began the first quarter, Davis began the fourth by nailing a three-pointer — but this one gave her team its first double-digit advantage of the night. Once again, Davis was the difference.
Turner Thorne couldn't think of a better descriptor for Davis's mindset than the dissatisfaction she displayed after such an excellent performance.
"(Davis) just kicked butt for us," Turner Thorne said. "The fact that she basically stepped up and helped us take the game, and (her defense) is what she's looking at, that just tells you that she's got a championship mindset."
ASU will undoubtedly be looking to improve its rebounding margin in its next game against the Wildcats after losing the battle of the boards 35-20 on Friday. Tip for the second leg of the Territorial Cup series is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Sunday in Tucson.
Reach the reporter at rclarke6@asu.edu or follow @RClarkeASU on Twitter.
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