Kamryn Kitchen got her first start for the Wildcats
TEMPE, ARIZ – On Monday, Arizona head coach Becky Burke used the old cliche that records didn’t matter in a rivalry game. It was almost true on Wednesday night in Desert Financial Arena. The Wildcats led Arizona State by as many as eight in the second half but couldn’t hold onto the lead in a 68-61 loss.
“I am so proud of our team, proud of our effort, proud of our fight,” Burke said. “Don’t get me wrong, very disappointed with the outcome, but I thought we did a lot of things right, and thought we put ourselves in a position to win, but ultimately we didn’t. Doesn’t take anything away from how well we executed the game plan, how hard these guys played.”
There was little difference between the two teams, but it ultimately came down to offensive rebounds, second chance points, and made free throws. ASU controlled the o-boards 14-6 and turned them into a 14-5 second chance advantage. The Sun Devils hit 19 of 21 free throws while the Wildcats hit 13 of 18.
Arizona made its biggest push out of the locker room in the second half. After trailing by seven at the half, the Wildcats started the second half on a 13-0 run. ASU did not score until there was 5:24 left in the quarter. UA finished the frame with a 23-17 advantage, but it was the only quarter the Wildcats won.
The Sun Devils bounced back in the final period, but the Wildcats had several opportunities down the stretch to pull even or take the lead. The final one-point deficit came with 2:13 left in the game. Arizona did not score again. After cleaning up the turnovers they had in the first half, the Wildcats turned the ball over twice in that period and forced several shots.
“I was frustrated the first half with those turnovers, but happy to see the response and the adjustment that we made and how they execute it in the second half,” Burke said. “But again, a game that low scoring as this one, which we knew it was, every turnover you kind of wish you could have back and take care of it a little bit better.”
Kamryn Kitchen got the first start of her career and played every minute until she fouled out with 30 seconds left. She went 5 for 12 from the field and 3 for 6 from outside. She also had four rebounds, two assists, and three steals.
“Kam’s really talented offensively,” Burke said. “Hasn’t played a whole ton of minutes. I mean, that’s the most minutes she’s probably played all season combined. And so I’m really excited of her to just build her confidence, continue to get comfortable out there, because when she does, she’s capable of what she did tonight and then some. So we’re without Micky [Perdue] right now, we were without Tany [Welch] tonight, like what this group did, and the names on this piece of paper, and how were they were they were able to come together and be in a position to win this basketball game? I mean, we’re really, we’re down some important people right now, so I’m just really proud of them.”
The 6,121 fans were the biggest ASU crowd for a rivalry game in program history. When asked about the crowd, Burke noted that it was great for ASU to have that kind of support, but it was an environment Arizona was used to playing in front of in McKale Center on a nightly basis.
“Hopefully they bring a little more, because they’re going to need it,” ASU guard Gabby Elliott said.
Category: General Sports
