The Arizona State women’s basketball team understands the importance of each game moving forward and proved it by delivering an 81-56 home win over Houston on Feb. 21.
The Sun Devils (22-7, 9-7 in Big 12) remain on the cusp of making the NCAA tournament and need every win they can get with two regular-season games left. One of the next contests is on the road against No. 20 Texas Tech. ASU hasn’t beaten a ranked opponent.
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“We talk about statement wins, especially right now where eyes are on March,” coach Molly Miller said. “Eyes are on bubble teams, eyes are on brackets, postseason possibilities. We got to be clean, we got to be sharp, we got to be playing our best basketball. We practice really well and we talk in the locker room.”
Aside from the 26-point loss at Iowa State on Feb. 18, the Sun Devils have made a strong case for the postseason. Each of the four wins in the last six games have been decided by two or more possessions, while the loss at then-No. 15 Baylor was decided by one possession.
Houston (7-20) could have been a trap game for ASU, but the players fixed their mistakes early when ASU gave up back-to-back 3s in Houston’s first four possessions.
Miller said her group talked about the loss to ISU prior to Houston and she saw how it affected their performance against Houston.
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“We got better in areas we needed to get better in and it was a good rounded team effort today,” Miller said. “That’s the type of basketball we need to be playing this time of year.”
ASU pressed harder against the Cougars and forced four turnovers, while Houston didn’t see a shot fall for six minutes.
Marley Washenitz posted nine points in an ASU 13-0 run that built a significant lead over the Cougars. The Sun Devils took a 22-point lead at halftime and had three players in double figures.
However, ASU’s defense eased in the third quarter, allowing Houston to match its first-half total of six field goals. The Cougars cut ASU’s 27-point lead to 15 with an 11-2 run, but ASU had a strong fourth quarter and shut out the Cougars in the last four minutes of the game.
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Four players finished in double figures, including Heloisa Carrera with 23 points on 10-of-12 shooting and eight rebounds. Washenitz had one of her best games, scoring 14 points and eight rebounds.
The Sun Devils had more turnovers than Houston, but scored 19 points off Houston’s 12 turnovers.
“Once everyone starts getting on the same page and we match each others’ energy, I think that’s where we can be dangerous,” Washenitz said. “It starts on the defense. When we can hold opponents to a certain amount of points, but then capitalize on our steals and their turnovers, that’s huge for us.”
ASU next hosts BYU on Feb. 25 at 6:30 p.m.
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Reach the reporter or send tips for stories at jenna.ortiz@arizonarepublic.com, as well as @jennarortiz on X.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: ASU women’s basketball steamrolls Houston
