TEMPE, Ariz. – On its second possession of the game, Utah turned the ball over to a stifling Sun Devil defense due to a bad pass from senior guard Lani White. 

The giveaway marked the beginning of the end for the Utes, leading to a world of trouble from the Molly Miller-led defensive scheme. 

Miller’s squad finished the game with 21 turnovers forced, adding to what is already the worst turnover margin in the Big 12 for Utah. Although the Sun Devils only added 16 points off the opposition’s miscues, it proved to be enough for the 20th win of the season. 

“We want it to be 20 and counting,” Miller said about the milestone. “We’re not satisfied. We’re looking to win in February. So right now we’re zero and zero, looking for the next one.”

Arizona State (20-6, 7-6 Big 12) women’s basketball returned home after a heartbreaking loss in Waco against the Baylor Bears. At their home arena, the Sun Devils bounced back, winning 71-61 against a proven Utah team (16-9, 7-6 Big 12) on Wednesday, Feb. 11, night at Desert Financial Arena.

According to many national bracketology predictions, Arizona State currently stands in the "first four out" category, signifying it is ranked somewhere between 69 and 72. The win on Wednesday night stands as a stepping stone to the tournament, as Utah defeated No. 8 TCU and No. 22 West Virginia earlier in the season.

In college basketball, 20 wins serve as a key benchmark in determining a team's standing in relation to NCAA tournament berths. 

Miller became the first ASU women’s basketball coach in history to reach 20 wins in their first year in Tempe. The milestone number is also the first time the Sun Devils have won 20 games since the 2019-20 season. 

“We always knew everybody who transferred here, from the coaches to the players, we always knew what kind of season we wanted to have,” graduate guard Gabby Elliott said. “To just see a kind of fruition, starting with our defense, is what we love to see.”

Elliott led the charge in the scoring department, adding 19 points to her impressive season total of 426 points. The first-year Sun Devil is currently the sixth leading scorer in the conference, proving why she is the main scoring option for the team.

However, Miller prioritizes having multiple scorers step up to the plate in tight conference games.

“We (coaches) always see we need three,” Miller said postgame. “We need at least three scorers out there, and then some role players to be a threat.”

Relating to the first-year coach’s messages, the team finished with exactly three scorers in double-digits. 

Sophomore forward Heloisa Carrera finished the night with 12 points, including six in the first quarter. She also added five rebounds and three assists, racking up quality minutes in every facet of the game.

Junior forward McKinna Brackens, who had 31 points in the first matchup against the Utes, added to the frontcourt with 14 points and three blocks. Carrera and Brackens currently stand as the Sun Devils’ second and third leading scorers, dominating the paint so far this season.

From wire-to-wire, ASU never looked back after getting out to an early 4-0 lead in the first two minutes of the game. A putback layup by Carrera got the scoring started and led to another impressive frontcourt performance.

The Sun Devils lit it up from beyond the arc, finishing the conference play bout with a 7-for-13 shooting clip. The impressive line is the third time this season ASU has shot over 50% from deep, showcasing another game to remember.

On the other end, Utah currently stands third in the Big 12 in three-point shooting with 218 three-point field goals. Against ASU, Utes head coach Gavin Petersen’s team only drained six, shooting a mere 24% from downtown.

“We (Utah) can’t go six for 25 and expect to win,” Petersen said postgame. “So we got to make some of those open threes, and we have to continue to do so.”

Utah will return home to take on the Cincinnati Bearcats, a team that ranks second-to-last in turnovers forced with 364 on the season. 

Arizona State will be looking to add on to the benchmark win total, traveling down south to take on Arizona on Saturday afternoon at 12:00 pm AZT. The Territorial Cup is always a big game and Saturday is no different, as the Sun Devils look for the season sweep.

“It’s gonna be loud,” Elliott said about the upcoming rivalry game. “We’re going to do exactly what we need to do, focus on our game plan, and make sure we come out on top.”