Entering the first game of any season, there’s always the question of whether or not a talented team will come out rusty or flat.
But not every team has the kind of depth the ASU women’s basketball team boasts.
All 13 Sun Devils played, 12 of them graced the scoring column, and No. 18 ASU took care of business against the Illinois State Redbirds, 76-40, in their season opener at Wells Fargo Arena.
“I thought that was just kind of a nice team win,” head coach Charli Turner Thorne said. “Obviously, we spread the minutes around, everybody got some good rotations in. I think the thing you should see in this team is that everybody can score. Everybody that goes in can just flat out put the ball in the basket.”
As Turner Thorne mentioned prior to the start of the season, the Sun Devils (1-0) hold quite the edge in the depth category, with more than 10 different talented players at their disposal.
That became abundantly clear when they made, essentially, an entire platoon switch, bringing in five subs not even halfway through the first quarter. By the end of the frame, ASU had 12 different players that had seen the floor, and a 21-12 lead to show for it.
“It’s great to have a game this early that you get everybody in and just give them some game experience,” Turner Thorne said. “I think it’s hard to get better if you’re not playing in games.”
“On any given day, we can get something different from all of those players,” she added.
By the middle of the second quarter, that unmatchable depth started to become the difference, as the Sun Devils kept bringing in fresh players, overpowering an eight-deep ISU (0-1) squad to hold a 41-20 halftime advantage.
First half summary! pic.twitter.com/R1p2KO1wWF
— Sun Devil WBB (@SunDevilWBB) November 11, 2016
By that point – a clear testament to the depth – last year's leading scorer for ASU, senior forward Sophie Brunner, had just seven points.
At the end of the third, the Sun Devils were all over Illinois State, as they closed the frame on a 14-4 run to lead 60-30.
“Those who have covered our program for a long time know I would rather beat a team by 30 and play everybody than what most top-ranked teams in our country do, which is beat people by 55 or 60 and play seven people,” Turner Thorne said. “That’s just not who we are, it’s always paid off for us, and we feel like in any game we feel like we’re controlling, we’re going to get people game experience.”
Brunner dropped 11 points while fellow seniors Kelsey Moos and Quinn Dornstauder each chipped in six. Brunner also came close to finishing the game with a double-double, adding seven rebounds in the win.
The seniors, however, weren’t the only key contributors. The games' top scorer ended up being Armani Hawkins, the younger sister of recent graduate Arnecia Hawkins, with 14 points.
“Armani did what she does today, that’s her strength," Turner Thorne said. “Her strength is to put the ball in the basket, and she did a fantastic job within the flow of things of knocking down her shots. This is exactly what we want from her.”
In their first game as Sun Devils, freshmen Reili Richardson and Kiara Russell also made their names known, combining for 13 points.
While it was Russell who was given the starting nod at point guard, each played relatively even minutes and looked very capable and comfortable when on the floor.
Richardson also dished out seven assists to add to her solid debut.
“I just want to do what’s best for my team,” she said. “We’re strong down low in the post, so when I can get the ball down low to people that can score and are experienced, I try to.”
ASU won’t have to wait long to keep their young season rolling as San Jose State makes its way to Tempe for a battle with the Sun Devils on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Related Links
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Reach the reporter at jeff.griffith21@asu.edu or follow @Jeff_Griffith21 on Twitter.
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