Arizona State moved to a 14-0 record after defeating Colorado in its first conference game of the season, 79-63.
The Sun Devils (13-0, 1-0 Big 12) dominated the Buffaloes (9-3, 0-1 Big 12) on Sunday, Dec. 21, at Desert Financial Arena, thanks to strong offense from both junior forward McKinna Brackens and graduate guard Gabby Elliot, setting the tone early for the game.
Brackens, who came off the bench, put up 18 points and five rebounds for ASU, while both Elliot and sophomore forward Heloisa Carrera finished with 14 points.
Redshirt junior forward Deborah Davenport started her first game of the season and grabbed five rebounds for the Sun Devils.
The Buffaloes struggled throughout to make passes to open teammates, making it difficult for the squad to keep up with the Sun Devils, whose defensive pressure remained relentless.
ASU consistently played with strong defense throughout its non-conference matchups. That narrative did not change during its first Big 12 game of the season.
In the first quarter, the Sun Devils started the match fired up. Fifth-year guard Last-Tear Poa sank a three right off the bat to give the team a spark.
ASU finished the quarter shooting with a 77% shooting percentage and 26 points. The Sun Devils went 4-4 on three pointers to start.
Within the first two minutes of the quarter, ASU had forced three turnovers, making it easier to take the lead by 15 points.
Senior guard Marley Washenitz put together 13 points. The reliable scoring option for the Sun Devils went 5-7 on three pointers to end the night.
Throughout the game, the Buffaloes were able to add defensive pressure to the Sun Devils. Colorado junior guard Zyanna Walker scored 15 points and forced three turnovers.
The Buffaloes trailed behind the Sun Devils in the first quarter by 11 points. However, they crawled back during the fourth quarter by getting within two points.
Colorado made adjustments to its defense to add pressure on the Sun Devils. But ASU didn’t let that get in its way of making it to the basket and adding more points on the board.
Freshman guard Amaya Williams was put in and created energy for the team. Williams added seven points, with one three-pointer and went 2-3 on field goals.
The Sun Devils are now tied with the 2014-15 squad with the second-longest winning streak of 14.