Grace got a defensive rebound with two seconds remaining to see off the win as the Tempe faithful stood on their feet as they watched the Arizona State women's basketball team ring the bell 16 times in honor of their 16th win of the young season. 

“She could be a force,” Miller said of Grace. “She could help our team. She is getting better every day. She is a registered freshman, and so she has got that learning curve, but you can tell she is so likable and what an asset to this team.” 

ASU (16-1, 3-1 Big 12) defeated UCF (8-7, 0-4 Big 12) 68-45 on Wednesday night at Desert Financial Arena. This victory was a bounce-back after losing for the first time last time out on the road against BYU. 

The Sun Devils' practice, preparation and effort were key to improving on their flaws against the Cougars, which were needed in order to secure victory tonight. The mental toughness and resilience shown in the bounce-back effort were something Miller was expecting based on this week's practices.

“This is a special group,” Miller said. “I knew we were going to win this game two days ago, not because of records, but because of the look in their eye and how they had focused. I knew we were ready, and I felt good.” 

Although the 68 points may seem like a low mark, ASU will hang its hat on the shot selection throughout the game. The squad donning the maroon and gold shot 25-for-47 from the field, good for 52.3%.

The offense also provided some much-needed offense down low, scoring 40 points in the paint, which was a point of emphasis for Miller. 

The Sun Devils also pushed the pace offensively, evident by their 24 points on the fastbreak. 

“I feel like we took some bad shots in the BYU game,” junior forward McKinna Brackens said. “We watched a lot of film the day after with coach Glove. We wanted to make sure we were making the right plays tonight and getting a great shot, not a good shot.” 

ASU’s rebounding was much improved after struggling mightily against the Cougars. In Wednesday night’s affair, the Sun Devils held the Knights to seven offensive boards while outrebopunding UCF 37-28. 

This comes as a welcome sight for a Miller-led squad that partially prides itself on rebounds with the phrase ‘mebounds,’ as they have been outrebounded in the prior two games. 

“I think we were very intentional the past couple of days in practice,” Miller said. “I think that was obvious by the way we blocked out tonight and rebounded. As a coach, that is really good to see because they are coachable and you know they are trying.” 

In the first loss of the season and penultimate game of 2025, the Sun Devils gave up their most points of the season, 71 to BYU. The team rebounded Wednesday night, allowing its second-lowest mark of the season with 45 points. 

It was not just in the points aspect that ASU’s defense improved. The Sun Devils held the Knights to four made threes, under 31% from the field, 18 paint points and only two second-chance points. 

“I feel like our defense turns into offense,” Brackens said. “I feel like we get hyped when we get defensive stops, and we worked hard on that in the summer, and I feel like we conditioned for that. It feels good to see all that hard work come to fruition.”

Two players really stood up to the challenge that Miller put up for them. First was sophomore forward Heloisa Carrera, who was instilled with confidence by Miller after a rough start, and second was fifth-year guard Last-Tear Poa, who was challenged in film study to step up. 

Carrera, early in the game, missed two semi-open looks down low and turned the ball over before Miller pulled her aside for some words of encouragement. 

The young forward used that instilled faith and confidence from her coach to lead the Sun Devils in points with 20 on 8-for-12 shooting, along with five rebounds and two steals. 

“She told me that she trusted me,” Carrera said. “She said I showed her everything in practice, so she had that confidence in me. She told me to keep going up because I was going to finish one time.”

Poa’s was more of a before-the-game challenge. Miller praised Poa for stepping up to the task at hand, which was set during the 45-minute film study on how she needed to improve her game. 

“I really have to compliment Poa,” Miller said. “We had a film session on where I really needed her to get better, and she pushed the pace for us. She was intense on defense. She was locked in, and she really was a catalyst for what we did in transition.”

Another key offensive contributor was Brackens, who has now registered her sixth double-double of the year with 15 points and 11 rebounds. 

Learning and growing as a team can sometimes be difficult. For ASU, with a roster that saw a new coaching staff and an entirely new roster with the exception of three players, it can be even more difficult. Brackens was a big part of team bonding and helping with overall growth, showcasing the leadership abilities, and she talked about the biggest improvement as a team from game one to now. 

“I feel like we have learned a lot about each other and how we all play,” Brackens said. “We are leaning on each other's strengths and weaknesses, so I feel like that is our biggest improvement; Learning how to play to put each other in the best situation to be successful.”

The Sun Devils will look to begin a new win streak when they face their first-ranked opponent of the season when they travel to Texas to tip off against No. 9 TCU (15-1, 3-1 Big 12) Sunday, Jan. 11, at 3 p.m.

“We will be ready,” Miller said. “We are going to go in there like we can win and believe that we can win.”