No. 20 ASU women’s basketball (16-6) dominated with a 61-46 win over Washington State (7-16, 2-10 Pac-12 play) on Thursday night, improving the Sun Devils to 7-4 in Pac-12 play.
Senior forward Kianna Ibis led all scorers with 22 points and eight rebounds. Junior guard Robbi Ryan was another offensive spark, pouring in 13 points and was 3-3 from deep. Junior forward Jamie Ruden also chipped in offensively with seven points.
On the glass for ASU was senior center Charnea Johnson-Chapman with eight rebounds and six points, while Freshman guard Iris Mbulito grabbed seven boards.
After a slow start for ASU, the Cougars led early, keeping it tight in the first half. Down by one heading into halftime, the Sun Devils came out strong and surged in the second half to secure the 15-point win.
The Sun Devil surge began in the third quarter, as ASU outscored WSU 21-9 thanks to an 10-0 run within the first few minutes of the quarter.
The Sun Devils were 9-14 from the field and 3-4 from deep in the third. While the offense was on fire, the Sun Devils were also getting things done on the other end.
The Sun Devil defense held the Cougars to only 17 percent from the field and 28 percent from three in the third. While the Cougars tried to claw their way back, the Sun Devils remained strong, ending the third quarter with an 11-point deficit.
The Sun Devils continued to dominate in the fourth, shooting 6-11 from the field. A layup by ASU freshman forward Jayde Van Hyfte put the Sun Devils up by 20 with four minutes left in the game, solidifying the win.
The second half of the Sun Devil's road trip to the Pacific Northwest is cancelled due to weather, so the team will not be making up the game against the Washington Huskies and will return to Tempe to take on Colorado on Friday, Feb. 15 at 6 p.m. MST.
Reach the reporter at amrusse6@asu.edu or follow @alexrussell0706 on Twitter.
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