Utah pulls away during the second half of the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament
LAS VEGAS, Nv. — The conference trip to Las Vegas was a short one.
Before Arizona State women’s basketball could finish unpacking, it was sent home from the final Pac-12 conference tournament in the opening round, and its season promptly ended at the hands of Utah on Wednesday night, 71-60.
Having lost five consecutive before entering the tournament as the 11th seed, the Sun Devils (11-19 overall) slid into the tournament, and were handed their sixth straight and last loss.
Trayanna Crisp willed the Sun Devils to an early advantage over the Utes, holding seven of the teams 17 total points while shooting 75 percent from the field and forcing six turnovers through the first frame. As a team, ASU’s restless defense managed eight turnovers with a pair of steals, but the burning candle of the Sun Devils slowly dimmed as the night progressed.
ASU led by as many as seven points during the first 10 minutes. Utah clapped back to take an eight-point lead during the second quarter and held a four-point lead at half.
ASU coach Natasha Adair said her team needed to up the pressure and come out with the same urgency they did at the start.
And they did — for a bit.
Arizona State was at the mercy off Alissa Pili and Ines Vieira, who combined for 54 percent of the Utah’s points. And despite coming within four points a handful of times during the second half, ASU remained one step behind.
The lack of success from beyond the arc did the Sun Devils no favor, shooting just 1-for-7 (14.3 percent) during the second half compared to 37.5 percent from the first.
Pili collected 16 of her team-high 20 points and eight of her 11 total rebounds in the second half. Vieira, who sunk a half-court bank shot from beyond the mid-court logo to end the third quarter, accounted for 18 points, five rebounds and three assists while playing the entirety of the game.
Maty Wilke (10 points) and Kenna McQueen (11 points) also logged double digits for the Utes.
Crisp and Jalyn Brown were the only two Sun Devils to record double-digit points. Crisp, who found a quick seven points, was held scoreless until the second half where she erupted for 12. Jalyn Brown had 15 points.
Adair and ASU will now march forward to the Big 12.