After nearly two months of winning a majority of its games by double digits, No. 9 ASU women's basketball finally had the opportunity to play in a pair of close games over the past weekend.
The Sun Devils (20-4, 11-1 Pac-12) emerged victorious over UCLA by four points on Friday and USC by a single point on Sunday, two experiences that were relatively foreign to a team that went on a 15 game winning streak.
Junior forward Sophie Brunner made the difference in the game against the Trojans, hitting an and-one layup with less than two seconds to go (as pictured above), giving her team the 69-68 victory and helping it dodge major disappointment on its home court.
Brunner, in her typical humble fashion, pointed to the play of her teammates and said the last shot could've gone to anyone — it was just how the game played out.
"If I wouldn't have been open it would have been someone else," Brunner said. "LiLi (Davis) and Kelsey (Moos) thought of the play, and that's what they wanted to do."
Only eight of ASU's first 22 games finished in single digits leading up to last weekend, which speaks to the dominance this Sun Devil team had over quality competition in both the preseason and Pac-12 play.
ASU head coach Charli Turner Thorne said it may sound odd to the casual observer, but having a chance to play in close games is a necessary evil for her team as it enters the home stretch of what has been a highly successful season.
"After playing three tough games in eight days, I think that by the end of the week we just didn't have our legs," Turner Thorne said. "For us to bring on that February toughness and grind it out was great."
That February schedule is only going to get tougher as the Sun Devils head to the Bay Area for tilts with a young California squad and a No. 13 Stanford team that's out for revenge.
Last time the Cardinals and Sun Devils played, it was in Tempe on Jan. 4, and ASU prevailed 49-31 thanks to some stifling defense and discipline on the boards.
The 31 points were the fewest Stanford had ever scored. Turner Thorne said she expects a completely different game this time around.
"Stanford, being a top program, probably didn't like the way the first game went," Turner Thorne said. "I think we are two of the best defenses in the conference, and that's what it's going to come down to."
Defense and rebounding are obviously crucial to both of the Sun Devils' coming games, but consistent offensive production will be something that Turner Thorne expects out of a group that doesn't rely on one particular person to shoulder the scoring load.
One player who emerged in the UCLA game after a season of struggles was senior guard Katie Hempen, who poured in 20 points and set the all-time school record for career three-pointers in the win. Contributions from sharpshooters like Hempen could wind up being the difference in games where interior defense will be a focal point.
Hempen, sporting a large bruise below her eye as a battle scar from that game, said she was happy to see her team setting screens, and getting each other open against UCLA. Hempen also said she'd like to see that trend continue on the upcoming road trip.
"We just have to play our game and execute the way that we normally would against Cal," Hempen said. "(Stanford) has been a lot better since we played them last, so I think if we hold them to one shot per possession we'll get the results that we want."
Tip-off for ASU vs. California is scheduled for 8 p.m. Mountain time on Friday in Berkeley, while the Sun Devils and Cardinals will clash at 7 p.m. on Sunday.
Reach the reporter at rclarke6@asu.edu or follow @RClarkeASU on Twitter.
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