TEMPE, Ariz. - Arizona State secured its tenth consecutive win against San Francisco in the annual Briann January Classic on Saturday, Dec. 6, marking the best start in program history. 

Arizona State (10-0) dominated San Francisco (6-3), defeating the Dons 67-44 at Mullet Arena behind 33 rebounds and five 3-pointers. Additionally, the Sun Devils forced 31 Don turnovers en route to the historic win. 

ASU head coach Molly Miller said she sees continuity in the team’s vision.  

“There are a lot of moving parts that go into a good start,” Miller said. “For everyone to buy into the vision and now the mission, that is the most special part about this.” 

Junior forward McKinna Brackens and junior guard Jaya LoVett led the Sun Devils in scoring, finishing with 15 points each to help secure the win.

Continuing in ASU’s good fortune, Brackens was awarded tournament MVP honors, with LoVett and graduate student Gabby Elliot joining the all-tournament team list.

Although ultimately prevailing, a slow start plagued both teams in the first quarter. The first ended deadlocked at 13. 

Yet Miller ignited the Sun Devils in the second quarter after some aggressive behavior toward the officials. 

Brackens said she appreciated Miller standing up for the team. 

“It makes us want to have her back too, because she has our back,” Brackens said. “If a foul or call does not go our way, when she has our back, it makes us want to play harder. We are going to play through whatever you throw at us.”

Shortly after, momentum shifted toward ASU, as senior guard Marley Washenitz took possession of the ball and ran it down to assist Elliot, securing the layup and sending the home crowd into a frenzy.

“When you see her get fired up, especially coach Molly (Miller), she does not get fired up too much,” Washenitz said. “Her emotions are pretty steady, so when you see her get fired up, it makes you want to rally behind her. It lit a fire in us that sparked something that we needed.” 

The Sun Devils’ defense challenged the Dons, forcing a mere 33% field goal percentage.

As the second quarter began, neither team broke through until fifth-year guard Last-Tear Poa took a long-range shot after 4 minutes. Poa went 2-3 on 3-pointers against the Dons. 

In the early stages of the second half, sophomore forward Heloisa Carrera went down, grabbing her shoulder. 

However, with two minutes remaining in the third quarter, she returned to the court and put up six points for the Sun Devils. 

LoVett ended the quarter with a buzzer-beater layup, giving the Sun Devils a 50-32 lead.

With the score out of hand, Miller turned to the bench, playing redshirt junior guard/forward Deborah Davenport.

Davenport had five rebounds and five points for the Sun Devils.

“I think it is really hard for some of these players because some of them have started 30 plus games and then they come here and they have to find a niche and find a role,” Miller said. “She’s found her niche of going in there, playing hard, rebounding, doing the dirty work and that’s our brand.”

ASU aims to keep its record perfect against the Penn State Nittany Lions. 

“We are going to celebrate 10-0 for another half a second and then move on,” Miller said. “We’ve got a huge road trip coming up and that is really going to test us going into the conference.”