ASU Basketball: Sun Devils break losing streak with convincing win over Prairie View A&M

Natasha Adair needed a win badly going into conference play. It could not have come in a better manner than the dominant showing from ASU women’s basketball (7-4, 0-0 Pac-12) in its 82-67 win over Prairie View A&M (3-7) Saturday.

“What you saw today was just us finishing the job. This was our final exam,” Adair said. “We talked about defense, rebounding and the extra effort plays; doing whatever it takes and doing it together. This was a phenomenal team win and we did it together.”

Adair’s team looks to improve on its defense and rebounding efforts, as ASU gives up the most points per-game in the Pac-12 (70.6). On the glass, the Sun Devils are located in the lower-third in total-rebounding and defensive-rebounding stats.

Coming off an injury, forward Meg Newman’s individual performance bumped those numbers up a bit.

Newman recorded her first double-double of the season, corralling 18 rebounds and adding 12 points to her name. Both of those are career-high’s for Newman, and her 18 rebounds are a team-high on the season.

As a team, ASU combined for eight steals, and an 84% (21-of-25) free throw-percentage. Heading into conference play, the Sun Devils might have played their best game fundamentally, while only shooting 42% from the field.

Treasure Hunt’s 22 point-performance was a career-high, and she also added nine rebounds.

The Sun Devils open Pac-12 play Thursday in Tucson against No. 20 Arizona (8-1, 1-0 Pac-12).