In her first year at the helm in Tempe, Arizona State head coach Molly Miller’s squad has exceeded expectations and is, without a doubt, a team that is capable of hanging around with every team in the country.
However, one thing applies to all teams regardless of how good they may be: sometimes it just isn’t your night.
That was the case for Miller and the Sun Devils on Wednesday, Feb. 18, evening, as Iowa State (21-6, 9-6 Big 12) ran all over ASU (20-7, 8-7 Big 12) in a 90-64 rout at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa.
The Cyclones’ offense featured a two-headed monster on Wednesday, as junior center Audi Crooks and junior guard Jada Williams led the charge with 28 and 26 points, respectively.
It wasn’t just Crooks and Williams that were feeling it from the field, either, as Iowa State shot 53% on Wednesday and connected on half of their attempts from beyond the arc.
The hot shooting led to the Sun Devils’ worst defensive showing all season, as ASU hadn’t let up more than 77 points in a game before Wednesday.
For Crooks, the 28-point outing was just another day at the office, as the Iowa native’s 25.3 points per game were good for second in the nation before Wednesday’s contest.
However, the same cannot be said for Williams. While she still puts up a solid 14.7 points per game, Wednesday was only the third time all season that Williams poured in 25-plus points for the Cyclones.
There is a possible explanation, as Williams may have had some added motivation against the Sun Devils. The Kansas City product played the first two years of her career at Arizona and improved her career record against the Sun Devils to 5-0 on Wednesday.
Crooks also pulled down 12 rebounds for her 11th double-double of the campaign, while Williams dished out eight assists, with the majority of her dimes being cashed in by Crooks.
Iowa State’s offensive success early and often – specifically down low with Crooks – turned into ASU foul trouble, as five different Sun Devils finished with 3-plus fouls.
First, freshman center Martina Fantini was no match for Crooks, picking up four fouls in the first half alone and eventually fouling out of the game.
Then, sophomore forward Heloisa Carrera started the second half with two quick whistles and had to come out with four fouls of her own.
After Carrera’s exit with 8:57 remaining in the third quarter, the Cyclones opened up a 36-13 run to add onto their 10-point halftime lead and put the game out of ASU’s reach.
The lone bright spot for the Sun Devils was junior forward McKinna Brackens in the first twenty minutes of play. Brackens went a flawless 9-for-9 from the field and tallied 19 points in the first half to keep ASU within striking distance.
Unfortunately for the Sun Devils, Iowa State planned to put a stop to Brackens’ scoring in the second half, allowing ASU to take open threes in order to keep Brackens out of the offense entirely.
The defensive adjustments from the Cyclones worked to perfection, as Brackens only scored two points in the second half, while the Sun Devils only hit two shots from distance on twenty attempts in the final two quarters.
Wednesday’s loss gives ASU’s tournament resume a large blemish, something the Sun Devils, who currently sit squarely on the bubble, cannot afford many of in the coming weeks.
As for the home side, Iowa State moves to 7-1 in its last eight games after a five-game losing streak early in conference play.
With recent tournament experience under their belt and a superstar leading the way, Crooks and the Cyclones are a team that can really do damage down the stretch in March.