SEATTLE — In what will go down as a monumental upset, No. 2 seed and Pac-12 co-champion ASU women's basketball fell 75-64 to No. 10 seed California in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 tournament on Friday.
The Golden Bears utilized the lob pass throughout the game to decimate the Sun Devils in the paint, scoring 46 total points in that area. California set the tournament record for field goal percentage by shooting 69 percent, and is the first No. 10 seed ever to beat a No. 2 seed in the women's Pac-12 tournament.
"I think that speaks to the strength of the conference," California head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. "I don't know if this conference has ever been this deep or this good."
Freshman forward Kristine Anigwe, a Phoenix native and one-time ASU recruit, set the tone from the very beginning for California. She scored a game-high 24 points and pulled down 11 rebounds before fouling it, and while she played, she was just one of many paint presences that gave the Sun Devils fits throughout the game.
ASU head coach Charli Turner Thorne plugged freshman forward Charnea Johnson-Chapman into the lineup early in the first quarter to try and counteract Anigwe's size, but the strategy proved futile as Anigwe continued to dominate in the post and on the glass.
After one quarter of play, ASU trailed 17-13. The Bears shot 70 percent and forced six turnovers.
The Sun Devils would have a brief response in the second quarter, holding California scoreless for nearly four minutes and taking a 25-21 lead — their largest of the day. However, a 7-0 run by the Bears to end the half gave them a 32-27 lead at the break as the Sun Devils continued to struggle defending the painted area.
"We just have to be focused and know how hard we have to work," ASU senior guard Elisha Davis said. "Us being tough and consistent — we didn't do that today."
California shot 68 percent in the first half, while ASU shot a meager 34 percent.
The outside shot, oddly enough, proved to be the separating factor in the third quarter for the Bears as freshman guard Asha Thomas nailed a trio of three-pointers to push her team's lead to double digits. From there, California never looked back, despite a valiant comeback attempt by the Sun Devils.
A string of three consecutive and-one layups put the ASU defense on its heels, and eventually its back, giving the Bears a 54-44 advantage through three quarters.
A fourth quarter in which it nearly matched California basket for basket wasn't enough as ASU couldn't complete its comeback and fell by a final margin of 11.
This loss not only knocks the Sun Devils out of the Pac-12 tournament, but the timing is even more inopportune as they are seeking a deep run in the NCAA tournament. ASU enters tournament play having lost two consecutive games, and has likely lost out on an opportunity to be a No. 2 seed. Regardless, the Sun Devils likely finish as a top-16 team in the country and host the first two rounds of regional play.
"We just didn't play great team defense and really struggled to knock down shots today," Turner Thorne said. "I'm still so proud of this team — they've achieved so much this year and I'm glad we're going to get a two-week break to regroup and get ready for NCAAs."
Reach the reporter at rclarke6@asu.edu or follow @RClarkeASU on Twitter.
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