TEMPE, Ariz. - The Arizona State Sun Devils dominated the Utah Tech Trailblazers both defensively and offensively to secure a 6-0 start to the season for the first time since the 1992-93 season.
The Molly Miller era has kicked the season off the right way for the Sun Devils, leading the program in an impactful way.
“I’m dialed into how we are doing it and how we can improve in this program,” head coach Molly Miller said. “I’ve preached that from the beginning, we are not going to take shortcuts.”
Despite having a low attendance number in the Desert Financial Arena, ASU showed out and finished the game 81-54.
The Sun Devils ended the night with a total of 62 rebounds. Thanks to junior forward McKinna Brackens, who had 10 rebounds, and graduate student guard Gabby Elliot, who had nine.
“Those rebounds, we work on those in practice a lot,” Miller said. “Those are extra possessions, and those are really, really valuable.”
Brackens finished the night with a total of 19 points, leading ASU in scoring for the game.
Both the Trailblazers and the Sun Devils struggled to put up three-pointers throughout the night.
However, ASU came out with an explosive defense, making it more challenging for Utah Tech to score any points.
“Offense has its nights, it has its moments,” Elliot said. “Defense is something you can control at all times, that’s just the team we are.”
The Sun Devils kept the Trailblazers at a far distance the whole game, with Utah Tech trailing by at least 10 points at the end of each quarter.
During the opening five minutes of the second quarter, fifth-year guard Last-Tear Poa went down with an ankle injury.
Despite stumbling to the bench, Poa was able to recover quickly from the sideline and start the second half of the game.
Several freshmen on the ASU squad saw minutes throughout the game, and with several game-changing plays for the team.
“They're getting contribution minutes, not just minutes,” Miller said.
Freshman point guard Amaya Williams touched the court for 25 minutes and scored 10 points for the team.
Sharing the same position as Williams, Elliot said she has been mentoring her during practices and has come a long way since the beginning of her college journey.
“The pace is a lot faster,” Williams said. “The defense is a lot harder, I think everything is a big level up from high school.”
For the Trailblazers, senior guard Kaylee Borden struggled to score points against the Sun Devils' dominant defense.
Borden currently leads Utah Tech in scoring and ended the night with only eight points against ASU.
“We just wanted to be all over her and not let her get her average,” Williams said.
The Sun Devils are coming off a high following a close win against UNLV last Saturday due to a “Hail Mary” shot from senior guard Marley Washenitz. The Sun Devils have been the beneficiary of a lot of attention in the media.
“The publicity is awesome,” Miller said. “When you have millions of combined views and eyes on Arizona State women’s basketball. It brings attention to the university, the program and to the city of Tempe.”