TEMPE, Ariz. — At the end of practice for the Arizona State Women’s Basketball team on Wednesday, the Phoenix Zoo surprised the squad with three animals in preparation for their “safari” themed match-up on Saturday.
The Phoenix Zoo has agreed to host a petting zoo just before tip-off. The Sun Devils face the UNLV Rebels in an exciting matchup in Tempe.
During practice, a porcupine, an armadillo, and a python were present for pictures with the team and coaching staff. Multiple members of the team refused to get near “Bearhug” the python.
Senior guard Marely Washenitz, being from Virginia, expressed appreciation for being able to connect with her community in the ASU area to host games like the upcoming matchup.
“Being able to connect with the Phoenix Zoo and other promotional games is really, really awesome,” Washenitz said. “Like Coach Miller says, ‘every great team has a great family.’”
Head Coach Molly Miller has prepared the girls to compete against the tough offense the Rebels bring during their plays.
“They’re well coached,” Miller said. “They’re disciplined, they’ve got tradition and history and great players. This is going to be our toughest test to date.”
The Rebels are currently 2-2 within the first three weeks of the season. The team has averaged 28 wins over the last four seasons.
UNLV’s most recent loss was in an away matchup against Montana State, falling short by 13 points. Just a few days before, the Rebels came back out of a deficit against Baylor, yet still did not secure a win.
“They are going to be hungry now,” Miller said. “They’ve lost two, and we are really circled on that schedule.”
Arizona State has played its last four games with strong defense. The matchup between the Sun Devils and the Rebels will be a battle of opposites, Miller said.
Junior forward McKinna Brackens played her first two years with the UNLV squad just before transferring to ASU.
The Sun Devils have been working hard to prepare for this matchup in hopes of a win for Brackens against her old teammates, Miller said.
“The last thing we want for her to do is get beaten by her old team,” Washenitz said. “We are definitely going to play for her, for sure. We are excited to play them.”
The Sun Devils are entering week three on a high with a 4-0 record after two wins in California against San Diego State University and Santa Clara University.
Outside of the basketball courts, the girls were able to do team bonding at Sea World before their two matchups. The chemistry between the girls has been building as the season progresses.
“I’m not going to be able to tell you the score of our Santa Clara game,” Washenitz said. “I could probably tell you some of the memories that we had at the airport or Sea World.”