In a back and forth affair, Arizona State (4-2) couldn’t get the best of Purdue (6-0) on Saturday at the Florida Gulf Coast Showcase. The Sun Devils fell 59-52 in a valiant effort.
As noted above, it was a game full of momentum shifts in Saturday’s semifinal. At one point, ASU went on a 17-2 run in the second quarter. But every time the Devils would pull away, the Boilermakers would claw their way right back.
Purdue went on a 17-7 run of its own, and they ended up grabbing a lead in the second half.
Among the notable culprits on offense, ASU had two players in double-figures with sophomore guard Taya Hanson and senior guard Kiara Russell. Hanson was 4-9 on field goals while Russell was 3-7.
Head coach Charli Turner Thorne’s team only shot 28 percent as a team, but where they made their living was on the glass. The Sun Devils had 16 second chance points compared to Purdue’s nine.
As for the victorious Boilermakers, senior guard Dominique Oden was productive, leading all scorers with 16 points on 5-10 shooting. Additionally, senior forward Ae’Rianna Harris poured in 12 points in the winning effort.
At one point in the fourth quarter, ASU trailed by 10 points. The team made a furious comeback and pushed to get things within three, but that would be as close as it got.
Purdue stayed among the unbeaten teams in women’s college basketball, and they scraped past the Sun Devils while shooting 45 percent.
Following the semifinal loss, ASU now takes on Middle Tennessee this afternoon at 3 p.m. local time.