ASU women's basketball's season came to an abrupt end Monday night in Austin, Texas, as they were lost to the Texas Longhorns 85-65.
The game featured a strong Texas Longhorns team that has averaged 80.8 points per game as they faced a Sun Devils defense that allowed 57 points per game.
The first half showed a strong performance from Sun Devil junior forward Kianna Ibis, who shot 60 percent from the field and scored 19 points, giving the Texas low post fits.
At the break, the deficit was at five for the Sun Devils as they looked to secure the upset and their first Sweet 16 appearance since 2015.
However, the Longhorns adjusted in the second half and showed why they are going to their fourth straight Sweet 16 game.
The third quarter could not have gone any better for the Longhorns after they saw their halftime lead wither to a two point lead (40-38).
The Longhorns saw their two senior guards, Brooke Mccarty and Ariel Atkins, step up and end their home career with a win. Mccarty would not give up easily as she started a huge run in the third quarter. She had 12 points and the Longhorns had a 19-5 run and blew the Sun Devils out of the water.
Her backcourt mate Atkins finished with 12 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Texas shot 65 percent from the field in the third.
For the Sun Devils, however, the second half was weaker. Ibis was limited to eight points and the team scored only 30. For the game, the team shot 39 percent from the field.
It was precedent in the last game that the Sun Devils would try and funnel their scoring from redshirt junior forward Courtney Ekmark, sophomore guard Robbi Ryan and Ibis. The three combined for 37 of the teams 65 points and only shot a combined 36 percent from the field.
The Longhorns dominated the Sun Devils on the glass and had a better field goal percentage. Texas finished with 40 rebounds to ASU's 19, and the Longhorns also shot 61.7 percent to the Sun Devils' 39 percent.
The senior duo of Mccarty and Atkins combined for 27 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists in their final home game.
Texas has also been one of the most dominant teams in the nation at home. The senior class featuring Mccarty and Atkins finished with a 62-8 record at the Frank Erwin Center.
The No. 2 seeded Longhorns will face-off against the No. 3 seeded UCLA Bruins in Kansas City on Friday March 23rd.
Reach the reporter at sbemanue@asu.edu or follow @SebastianEman24 on Twitter.
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