WBB Returns to Mullett Arena to Host Iowa State

January 7, 2025

GAME NO. 16: Sun Devil WBB (8-7, 2-1 Big 12) vs. Iowa State (10-6, 1-2 Big 12)
WHEN: Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. MST
WHERE: Mullett Arena • Tempe, Ariz.
WATCH: ESPN+
RADIO: KDUS AM 1060
LIVE STATS: Click here
PURCHASE TICKETS: Click here

UP NEXT
Currently riding a season-best three-game winning streak, the Sun Devil women's basketball team (8-7, 2-1 Big 12) will play its second of four contests at Mullett Arena this season when it hosts Iowa State (10-6, 1-2 Big 12) on Wednesday (6:30 p.m. MST).

ASU has won all three of its games since resuming play after the holiday break. 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. It defeated Penn (73-67) on Dec. 30, captured its first Big 12 win in its first Big 12 Conference home game in program history (defeated Texas Tech 79-61 on New Year's Day) and concluded the stretch with a 69-60 win at Houston on Saturday.

WATCH/LISTEN
Wednesday's game vs. Iowa State 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
• This will be the fourth all-time meeting between ASU and Iowa State.
• Iowa State leads the series 2-1.
• The last meeting took place on Nov. 25, 1995, a contest won by the Cyclones 69-61 at the Cyclone Classic in Ames, Iowa.

RANKINGS OF NOTE
• Through games played Jan. 6, ASU is ranked among the top 60 teams in the nation in free throw pct. (32nd/76.1/3rd in Big 12), defensive rebounds per game (45th/28.1/6th in Big 12) and blocks per game (52nd/4.3/6th in the Big 12).
• ASU is also ranked in the top half of the Big 12 in rebs per game (5th/39.7), FTs made per game (12.9/8th) and scoring (8th/72.9 ppg).
• Individually, Kennedy Basham is 19th the in the nation in blocks per game (2.2/2nd in Big 12) and Tyi Skinner is 43rd in minutes per game (35.0/2nd 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), 7th in 3-pointers per game (2.47), 8th in scoring (17.3 ppg/has scored in double figures in all but two games this season) and 3-point FG pct. (10th/35.9); Jalyn Brown is 13th in scoring (16.2 ppg) and in FT pct. (78.7), 15th in blocks per game (1.0) and 19th in FG pct. (42.4); and Kennedy Basham is 12th in rebounds per game (6.8) and Kennedy Fauntleroy is 14th in steals per game (1.93). Fauntleroy has averaged 3.0 spg in ASU's last seven games, compared to 1.0 in ASU's last eight games.

NOTES FROM LAST GAME - ASU 69, @Houston 60
• Tyi Skinner scored 18 points, Jyah LoVett had 14 of her season high-tying 16 points in the second half and Nevaeh Parkinson posted her second double-double (10 points, 12 rebounds) in three games to lead the Sun Devil women's basketball team to a 69-60 win at Houston on Saturday.
• For the second time in three games, ASU held the opposition to an opponent low for points in a half (25 points in the second half). In addition, the 60 points scored by Houston represented the third-fewest points the Sun Devils have allowed in a game this season.
• Parkinson, Kennedy Basham (two points, nine rebounds, two assists) and Jazion Jackson (four points, seven rebounds, team-high three assists) combined for 28 rebounds – more than half of ASU's 46 boards – to help ASU finish plus-seven on the glass.
• Jalyn Brown, who missed ASU's last two games due to injury, scored nine points and Kennedy Faultneroy added seven points.
• Skinner, who scored eight of her 10 first-half points in the second quarter, made a 3-pointer to beat the second quarter buzzer and give the Sun Devils a 36-35 lead at halftime, an advantage they would not relinquish the rest of the game.
• LoVett's layup with with 7:01 left in the third quarter started a 16-3 run to give ASU a commanding 58-44 lead going into the fourth quarter.
• The Sun Devils shot 52 percent (15-29) in the middle 20 minutes. After not scoring in the first quarter, Skinner scored all 18 of her points and hit four of the team's six 3-pointers in the game during the same span of time.
• LoVett, who hit all five of her shots in the second half, scored seven of ASU's 11 points in the fourth quarter. On the defensive end, the Sun Devils allowed the Cougars to make only one of their final six shots after Houston pulled within six for the second time with 3:21 left in the game.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR
• A win vs. Iowa State would give ASU its longest winning streak since the opening of the 2022-23 season when it won its first five games.
• 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 last week's wins over Penn, Texas Tech and Houston, ASU has given up 67 or fewer points in six of its last seven 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. They surpassed that in their most recent game at Houston, allowing the Cougars to score just 25 points in the last 20 mins.
• Tyi Skinner (7x) and Jalyn Brown (5x) have combined to lead or tie for the team lead in scoring 12x this season. Also among the single-game scoring leaders have been Nevaeh Parkinson (2x), Jyah LoVett (1x) and Kennedy Fauntleroy (1x).
• Skinner (13 of 15 games) and Brown (9 of 12 games) have combined to score in double figures 22 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 4x.
• In ASU's last five games, LoVett has averaged 15.0 points and connected on 52.6 percent of her shots. Compared to her first 10 games, LoVett has averaged +5.9 more points per game and shot +11.4 percentage points higher.
• In ASU's last four games, Parkinson has averaged 14.5 points and 9.3 rebounds. During that stretch she is shooting 64 percent (25-39). 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).
• After playing seven consecutive game away from Tempe between
Nov. 26 - Dec. 21, ASU will play no more than two straight games on the road the remainder of the season.
• Kennedy Basham has had multiple blocks in seven games 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 8-7 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.

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).

DYNAMIC DUO DEBUT
The 2023-24 Sun Devils were dealt a serious blow when it was announced before the season that superstar guard Tyi Skinner would miss the entire season due to a knee injury.

Skinner, who played her first two seasons at Delaware, joined Natasha Adair in Tempe after Adair was named ASU's head coach. In 2022-23, Skinner (2023 All-Pac-12 honorable mention) scored 20 or more points 15 times, including 29 points twice. A starter in all 28 games, Skinner averaged 19.3 ppg, (most by a Sun Devil since the 1988-89 ). She concluded her first campaign as a Sun Devil among the leaders in the Pac-12 in points per game (19.3/2nd/27th in the nation), 3-pointers per game (2.43 per game/2nd), minutes per game (36.59/3rd/29th in the nation), FTs made (79/3rd) and attempted (91/4th), steals per game (1.71/5th), 3-point FG pct (34.7/6th) and FT percentage (78.1/8th).

The 2023-24 Sun Devils were left pondering, 'what might have been,' had Skinner been able to share the court with Louisville transfer Jalyn Brown. Much like Skinner did in 2022-23, Brown would emerge as one of the top performers in the Pac-12 in 2023-24. In league games, Brown finished 3rd in the Pac-12 in scoring (19.6 ppg), 9th in FT percent (80.6) and tied for 14th in 3-pointers per game (1.56). She scored in double figures 26 times (12 20-point games) including a pair of outings in which she had the two highest-scoring games by a Sun Devil since 2000: 35 vs. Colorado (Jan. 7, 2024) and 34 points at Washington (Jan. 21).

Brown, who earned All-Pac-12 honorable mention honors from the league's coaches and All-Pac-12 recognition from media who cover the league, went on to lead the team in scoring (17.3 ppg) and 3-pointers per game (1.4), was 2nd in FT pct. (76.9), 3-pointers (1.3 per game), minutes (35.54 mpg) and FTs made (103) and attempted (134), 3rd in assists (1.6 apg), tied for 3rd in steals (0.9 spg) and 4th in O-rebounds (1.1 rpg).

In her first game since the end of the 2022-23 season, Skinner scored a career-high 30 points – the 17th time she scored 20 or more points in a Sun Devil uniform – in ASU's 74-66 win over Jacksonville State (Nov. 4). Brown led ASU in scoring (24 points) vs. Arkansas State (Nov. 8). Combined with Skinner's 16 points, the duo combined for 40 points in the game.

In ASU's 80-73 win over SMU (Nov. 16), Skinner (26 points) and Brown (25 points) combined for 51 points. In addition both Skinner (8-16 FGs, 5-10 3FGs) and Brown (10-18 FGs, 3-7 3FGs) were efficient with their opportunities as they teamed up to shoot 53 percent (18-34 FGs) from the field, including 47 percent (8-17) from long range. Out of the 15 games ASU has played thus far, Skinner has led or tied ASU in scoring 7x and Brown 5x times.

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