WBB Kicks Off Sun Devil Basketball Doubleheader on Saturday

GAME NO. 17: Sun Devil WBB (8-8, 2-2 Big 12) vs. Baylor (13-3, 3-1 Big 12)
WHEN: Saturday at 3:30 p.m. MST
WHERE: Desert Financial Arena • Tempe, Ariz.
WATCH: ESPN+
RADIO: KDUS AM 1060 
LIVE STATS: Click here
PURCHASE TICKETS: Sun Devil Women's Basketball's contest will be the first game of a Sun Devil Basketball doubleheader as the Sun Devil men will take the floor at 7:30 p.m. MST to face Baylor. Click here for information on how fans can be in attendance for both games.
 
UP NEXT
After nearly pulling off the biggest comeback in program history, the Sun Devil women's basketball team (8-8, 2-2 Big 12) will attempt to come away with a split when it hosts Baylor (13-3, 3-1 Big 12) on Saturday (3:30 p.m. MST) at Desert Financial Arena.
 
Prior to their game vs. Penn on Dec. 30, the Sun Devils had not played a game since their Big 12 Conference opener at Utah on Dec. 21. After the longer-than-usual period of inactivity, ASU played three games in six days last week coming away with wins in all of them: vs. Penn (73-67) on Dec. 30, Texas Tech (69-61) on New Year's Day and at Houston (69-60) last Saturday. Most recently, the Sun Devils had their three-game winning streak snapped by Iowa State (90-83) on Wednesday.
 
WATCH/LISTEN
Saturday's game vs. Baylor can be seen on ESPN+/Braiden Bell (play-by-play) and former Sun Devil Arnecia Hawkins (analyst). It can also be heard on KDUS AM 1060. Veteran broadcaster and the state of Arizona's 2010 & 2019 Broadcaster of the Year Jeff Munn is in his 21st season as the voice of ASU WBB. He will be joined by former Sun Devil head coach Maura McHugh. 
 
SERIES NOTES
• Baylor has won the three prior meetings between the two schools: 85-62 in 2003 (second round of the 2003 WNIT in Waco), 70-66 in 2010 (South Point Shootout in Las Vegas) and 65-59 in 2018. 
• Most recent contest (Nov. 11, 2018) was held at the BeeHoldzil Fighting Scouts Events Center in Fort Defiance, Ariz. Working in conjunction with ASU's Office of American Indian Initiatives, 'Showdown on the Rez' served as a celebration of Native American Heritage Month and also provided a platform to recognize and honor Native Americans who served in the armed forces.   
 
RANKINGS OF NOTE
• Through games played Jan. 9, ASU is ranked among the top 60 teams in the nation in free throw pct. (24th/77.4/2nd in Big 12), defensive rebounds per game (48th/28.1/6th in Big 12) and blocks per game (55th/4.2/5th in Big 12).
• ASU is also ranked in the top half of the Big 12 in rebs per game (5th/39.6), FTs made per game (8th/12.8) and scoring (8th/73.5 ppg).
• Individually, Kennedy Basham is 17th the in the nation in blocks per game (2.25/2nd in Big 12) and Tyi Skinner is 50th in minutes per game (34.8/3rd in Big 12). 
• ASU also has several players ranked among the Top 20 in the Big 12: Skinner is 4th in FT pct. (84.2), 8th in 3-pointers per game (2.44), 9th in scoring (16.9 ppg/has scored in double figures in all but two games this season) and 12th in 3-point FG pct. (34.8); Jalyn Brown is 11th in scoring (16.5 ppg), 12th in FT pct. (78.8), 18th in blocks per game (0.92) and 19th in FG pct. (42.3); Jazion Jackson is 4th in steals per game (2.4), Nevaeh Parkinson is 13th in rebounds per game (6.9)  Basham is 14th in rebounds per game (6.8) and Kennedy Fauntleroy is 14th in steals per game (1.94). Fauntleroy has averaged 3.0 spg in ASU's last eight games, compared to 1.0 in ASU's first eight games.
 
NOTES FROM LAST GAME - Iowa State 90, @ASU 83, JAN. 8, 2025
• ASU came up short in what would have been the biggest comeback in program history in a 90-83 loss to Iowa St. on Wednesday. Down by as many as 20, ASU was within three points with 13 seconds remaining. An ASU win would have eclipsed the record for the biggest comeback in program history: 18 points vs. Utah on Feb. 17, 2019, a game in which the Sun Devils scored the last 20 points of the game to edge the Utes 60-58.
• After shooting 34 percent in the first half, the Sun Devils hit 48 percent of their field goals in the final 20 minutes. Jalyn Brown scored 14 of her game high-tying 20 points in the second half to help ASU climb its way back into the game. Also totaling more than half of their points in the second half were Tyi Skinner (9 of 12), Jyah LoVett (8 of 13) and Jazion Jackson (6 of 8).
• The first and second quarters could not have been more contrasting. Kennedy Fauntleroy's second triple, ASU's third of the game, gave ASU a 15-14 lead. The Cyclones' 20-8 run over the last 5:21 of the opening quarter gave them a 34-23 lead.
• After Iowa State shot 67 pct in the first quarter, it made just 38 pct of its attempts the rest of the way.
• ASU's nine turnovers vs. Iowa State represented its fewest total this season.
• The 48 points ASU scored in the second half represented the most points ASU has scored in the second half of a game this season.
 
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
• The Sun Devils come into Saturday's game in a four-way tie for seventh place in the Big 12. No. 11 TCU (4-0) and No. 12 Kansas State (4-0) are currently tied for first place, followed by No. 17 West Virginia, No. 22 Utah, Baylor and Oklahoma State, who are all tied for third with a 3-1 conference record. 
• Prior to its 102-82 loss at Utah, the Sun Devils were starting to make strides on the defensive end of the floor. After giving up an average of 76.0 points in their first eight games, the Sun Devils gave up 16.0 fewer points per game (60.0) in their contests vs. UMES, at UC Davis and at San Francisco. In the contests vs. UMES and UC Davis, the Sun Devils allowed a season-low 57 points in back-to-back games. Including its wins over Penn, Texas Tech and Houston, ASU has given up 67 or fewer points in six of its last eight games. Penn's 26 points in the last 20 minutes matched (what were at the time) the fewest points ASU had given up in the second half this season. It surpassed that in its game at Houston, allowing the Cougars to score just 25 points in the last 20 mins.
• Tyi Skinner (7x) and Jalyn Brown (6x) have combined to lead or tie for the team lead in scoring 13x this season. Also among the single-game scoring leaders have been Nevaeh Parkinson (2x), Jyah LoVett (1x) and Kennedy Fauntleroy (1x).
• Skinner (14 of 16 games) and Brown (10 of 13 games) have combined to score in double figures 24 times this season. Skinner has scored 20 or more points 5x, including a career-high 30 points in ASU's opening win over Jacksonville State (Nov. 4). Brown has scored 20 or more points 5x. 
• In ASU's last six games, LoVett has averaged 14.7 points and connected on 54.5 percent of her shots. Compared to her first 10 games, LoVett has averaged +5.6 more points per game and shot +13.3 percentage points higher.  
• In ASU's last five games, Parkinson has averaged 12.4 points and 9.2 rebounds. During that stretch she is shooting 57 percent (27-47). She has also collected her first two double-doubles as a Sun Devil: 22 points, career high-tying 13 rebounds vs. Penn. (Dec. 30) and 10 points, 12 rebounds at Houston (Jan. 4).
• Kennedy Basham has had multiple blocks 8x this season, including a career-high seven rejections at San Francisco (Dec. 17).
 
PROGRESS NOT ALWAYS MEASURED IN WINS AND LOSSES
The Sun Devils, who have eight new players on this season's roster, have experienced the ups and downs that can sometimes go with combining the talents of several outstanding players early in the season. That factor alone could account for the Sun Devils' current 8-8 record. Some of the near misses...
• Against Arkansas State, the Sun Devils trailed by 13 with 6:15 remaining. After a 19-5 run, ASU was suddenly up by one with 1:01 remaining. Arkansas State scored the last five points of the game to claim the win.
• After going into the half with a 42-33 win vs. Grand Canyon, the Sun Devils were outscored 37-17 in the second half.
• At Coppin State, ASU was unable to score in the final 53 seconds to break a 61-61 tie. The Eagles would go on to win in OT.
• Despite a stout defensive effort and a plus-12 advantage on the boards, the Sun Devils came up on the short end of a 57-50 decision at UC Davis. For the second straight game the Sun Devils held the opposition to the fewest points they have given up this season and allowed the Aggies to shoot only 37 percent. Unfortunately for ASU, it struggled to put the ball in the basket as it made just 28 percent of its shots and knocked down one of its 14 attempts from long range. Down by eight entering the fourth quarter, the Sun Devils did not show any letup, methodically trimming the Aggies' advantage. Besselink's layup got the Sun Devils within two points, 44-42, with 5:36 remaining. ASU was within one possession three more times but did not come away with points in each instance. After Besselink's earlier field goal got ASU within two, the Sun Devils were only able to connect on three of their 14 shot attempts in the final five minutes of the game.
• At San Francisco, the Sun Devils were unable to take advantage of a 27-point performance from Skinner and a career-high and a tremendous all-around performance from Basham, who scored 12 points, grabbed seven rebounds and had a career-high seven blocks. The difference in the game was at the free throw line, not in accuracy – ASU made 82 percent of its attempts and San Francisco made 83 percent – but in the number of opportunities. By game's end, the Dons had more than three times as many attempts (29-35) as the Sun Devils (9-11). Still the Sun Devils were tied at 57-57 with 1:09 remaining. After the Dons took a six-point lead, Skinner knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and missed on a third that would have tied the game and sent it to overtime.
• ASU came up short in what would have been the biggest comeback in program history in a 90-83 loss to Iowa St. on Jan. 8. Down by as many as 20, ASU was within three points with 13 seconds remaining. An ASU win would have eclipsed the record for the biggest comeback in program history: 18 points vs. Utah on Feb. 17, 2019, a game in which the Sun Devils scored the last 20 points of the game to edge the Utes 60-58. 
 
WELCOME HOME  
After home wins over SMU (80-73 on Nov. 16) and former Pac-12 foe Oregon State (79-60 on Nov. 17) in the annual Briann January Classic, the Sun Devils started a stretch in which it did not play a home game for 43 days. A summary of what happened while they were away from Tempe: 
• ASU split its contests at the Music City Classic in Nashville, Tenn., falling to then-No. 14 Kentucky 77-61 (Nov. 26) and beating South Dakota 95-88 (Nov. 27). Nevaeh Parkinson was named to the Music City Classic All-Tournament Team. Against South Dakota, Parkinson scored a team- and career-high 26 points. Parkinson's single-game field goal percentage of 92.3 percent on 12 of 13 shooting vs. South Dakota, was the best individual performance for a Sun Devil attempting 10 or more shots in a game since Betsy Boardman made all 10 of her shots (1.000) vs. UCLA on February 17, 2001. Parkinson was also ASU's top rebounder in (6.5 rebounds per game).
• Next it was off to the DMV where ASU once again split its two contests, falling at Coppin State 74-68 in OT (Dec. 5) before coming back to defeat UMES 64-57 (Dec. 7) in the Coaches vs. Racism Roundball Classic played in Washington DC. The game at Coppin State was ASU's first true 'road game' of the season. Brown (14.5 ppg) and Skinner (13.5 ppg) both averaged double figures in the two games. At Coppin State, ASU came back from nine points down to take a 59-55 lead with 3:33 remaining. The Sun Devils led 68-67 with 1:28 remaining in OT before the Eagles closed the game with a 9-0 run to claim the win. Against UMES, ASU was phenomenal on the defensive end where it allowed the fewest points in a game this season and had season bests in steals (15) and blocked shots (9) and forced 32 turnovers, 13 more than the previous opponent high of 19 by Oregon State in last month's Briann January Classic.
• After time off for final exams, ASU was back on a plane, this time to Northern California for games at UC Davis (Dec. 15) and at San Francisco (Dec. 17). Despite a stout defensive effort and a plus-12 advantage on the boards, ASU came up on the short end of a 57-50 decision at UC Davis. For the second straight game ASU held the opposition to the fewest points its given up this season (57). It also allowed the Aggies to shoot only 37 percent. Unfortunately for ASU, it struggled to put the ball in the basket as it made just 28 percent of its shots and knocked down one of its 14 attempts from long range. Brown led all scorers with 21 points to go with three steals. Leading ASU's effort on the boards was Maggie Besselink, who had game highs in rebounds (12) and offensive rebounds (7). For Besselink, who also scored four points, her 12 boards were one short of matching her career high of 13 vs. USC on Mar. 3, 2021. 
• Despite a game-high 27 points from Skinner, ASU lost at San Francisco, 67-64. For the second time this season, Skinner came within one triple of tying the single-game school record after knocking down six vs. the Dons. The difference was at the FT line, not in accuracy – ASU made 82 pct of its attempts and San Francisco made 83 pct – but in the number of opportunities. By game's end, the Dons had more than three times as many attempts (29-35) ASU (9-11). 
• In the Big 12 conference opener at Utah, the Sun Devils posted their highest point total and best field goal percentage since Nov. 27. Despite its strong offensive performance, ASU was not able to come through with the win, falling at Utah 102-82. The Sun Devils scored more than 80 points for the fourth time this season and had their highest final point total since a 95-88 win vs. South Dakota at the Music City Classic on Nov. 27. ASU's shooting percentage of 48.4 percent was also its highest since the win over South Dakota (52.2 percent).