ASU and NAU

[azfan]

While the school in Tucson is received justifiably a great deal of preseason acclaim Arizona State and Northern Arizona opened their seasons yesterday. both earned victories that showed a lot about their teams.

NAU

The Lady Lumberjacks were on the road in Las Vegas. Evidently the Big Sky allows non-conference games on the road for member teams.

Two starters stayed in Flagstaff consensus preseason Big Sky MVP Khiarica Rasheed and returning starting point guard Nina Radford period

This game was the opposite of the ASU game with no defense particularly in the first half. The Jacks raced out to a 28-18 first quarter lead. Emily Rodenbaugh picked up the offensive slack that was left in Flagstaff as she had 19 first half points to equal her career high and ended the game with 27 points.

Regan Schrenk Jr guard lead the team and was a game high with 18 rebounds!

The Jacks almost lost this one allowing a 25 plus point lead to dwindle to two points late in the fourth quarter. When paying will take a 79-75 victory with two of her starters sitting.

Next up for the Lady Jacks Aari McDonald and that school from down in Tucson.

Career Highs Set as NAU Women's Basketball Beats UNLV 79-75 to Open Season - Northern Arizona University Athletics

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (November 25, 2020) -- Thanks to career highs for Emily Rodabaugh, Regan Schenck and JJ Nakai, the Northern Arizona University women's basketball

nauathletics.com

The ASU Sun Devils opened against The Lumberjacks of SFA with a 56-47 win at Desert Financial Arena. The Sun Devils graduated five outstanding players including four starters. This appears to be another Charlize Turner Thorne defense oriented team. She's very high on these recruits with seven freshmen on the team. Steven Austin returned most of the team from a 23 win season last year although they have a very small team.

Pac-12 policy requires all non-conference games to be played at home for members schools. There were some bizarre technical difficulties with the ASU game which started about 40 minutes late.

It's going to be a long season in the Pac-12 for the Sun Devils. This is another team that's going to rely on defense. The Sun Devils had 23 turnovers which is understandable given their need to replace two point guards and Robbi Buckets. The team looked confused offensively trying to run Thorne's offense in the half court. Many of the turnovers were result of over eagerness.

Player of the game was sophomore Eboni Walker who had a double double with 12 rebounds and 12 points. This is unusual for an ASU player given the system that Turner Thorne runs. Walker really looked good aside from several head scratching turnovers. She is an aggressive rebounder with a presence in the paint much larger than her frame.

ASU will certainly struggle to score this year. The victories they get will be due to their defense which has a long way to go.

Jeff Metcalfe of the Arizona Republic:

"To put it kindly, Arizona State women's basketball left itself with a lot of room for improvement in its season opener Wednesday."

ASU Women’s Basketball: Sun Devils fend off Stephen F. Austin, move to 1-0

Off to a good start

www.houseofsparky.com

Next up Vanderbilt on Friday the 27th.

 

[cancontent]

This was quite a game last night. I didn't think it was going to be as close as it was.

SFA was very aggressive in their defense and weren't afraid to get up against their man. Also was impressed with how they moved the ball and jumped into passing lanes.

Surprised that ASU struggled offensively.

 

[Plebe]

This was quite a game last night. I didn't think it was going to be as close as it was.

SFA was very aggressive in their defense and weren't afraid to get up against their man. Also was impressed with how they moved the ball and jumped into passing lanes.

Surprised that ASU struggled offensively.

I had a strong suspicion that this game would be tough sledding for ASU, a team that lost tons of production and leadership from last year's team, particularly in the backcourt. SFA has been improving in recent years; last year they gave UCF all they could handle.

ASU is no stranger to being offensively challenged at times. They absolutely need Iris Mbulito be a major scorer this year, I believe, but she was a total non-factor yesterday until she made a couple big plays down the stretch as part of that decisive run.

 

[azfan]

I had a strong suspicion that this game would be tough sledding for ASU, a team that lost tons of production and leadership from last year's team, particularly in the backcourt. SFA has been improving in recent years; last year they gave UCF all they could handle.

ASU is no stranger to being offensively challenged at times. They absolutely need Iris Mbulito be a major scorer this year, I believe, but she was a total non-factor yesterday until she made a couple big plays down the stretch as part of that decisive run.

Iris Mbulito is not a scorer. Scoring this year will come from Hanson, Loera, and Walker. Iris is a playmaker but man she had a bunch of turnovers. She has no outside shot (I think she shot under 45% last year) although a decent inside game.

This is a rebuilding year with all the freshmen on the roster.

 

[cancontent]

Looking forward to ASU's game vs VCU.

Obviously I have a Canadian player bias , but I'm excited to see how Sarah Te'Biasu does in her second game. I've always enjoyed watching her play when she competed back home. She played well in her first game. I believe she was their second leading scorer.

 

[azfan]

Looking forward to ASU's game vs VCU.

Obviously I have a Canadian player bias , but I'm excited to see how Sarah Te'Biasu does in her second game. I've always enjoyed watching her play when she competed back home. She played well in her first game. I believe she was their second leading scorer.

I'm looking forward to the game too. Canadians all over the court. ASU starts Junior Taya Hansen from BC. Highly recruited Maggie Besselink from Ontario didn't make it into the season opener.

Both teams have a strong international flavor although VCU is much broader in this regard with players from Russia (2), Lithuania, New Zealand in addition to Canada. ASU has an Australian on the team in addition to the two Canadians.

The VCU freshman Canadian guard scored 19 points in the opener of this tournament in Tempe. Certainly is going to be a challenge for ASU defensively against what looks to be a high scoring team.

In looking at the box score of the VCU game they have tremendous guard scoring as the vast majority of their points came from the back court While ASU is known as a strong defensive team they're going to certainly be challenged to slow down this high scoring group of guards. The three starting guards all scored in double figures and this is a three-point shooting team. Not only am I now looking forward to the game I'm a bit nervous.

One thing's for sure on an over-under I don't think VCU is going to score 80 plus points again.

I was able to stream Wednesday's game off the pac-12 site for ASU and figured out how to cast the game from my phone to the TV. Quality was poor but still better than nothing.

Fiund out that the 40 minute delay before the Wed game was due to covid protocol concerns. Wondering how things will tip off later today.

 

[DefenseBB]

Me thinks that ASU is not worthy of much press this year. CTT has done well in Tempe but not sure I care much this year. Put them in the same category as Texas Tech, Miami, Purdue, Auburn to cover teams that historical are strong WCBB programs but who will be suffering down years this year. Better stories elsewhere. That's why there are program specific forums on their school sites...

 

[bennyskid]

Me thinks that ASU is not worthy of much press this year. CTT has done well in Tempe but not sure I care much this year. Put them in the same category as Texas Tech, Miami, Purdue, Auburn to cover teams that historical are strong WCBB programs but who will be suffering down years this year. Better stories elsewhere. That's why there are program specific forums on their school sites...

Hmmm. ASU was a good enough story for you to click on the thread and post a response. And it pushed the "Is Ionescu the G.O.A.T" thread one notch further down the page. So this must be a pretty good story.

 

[DefenseBB]

who's Ionescu?

 

[Plebe]

Me thinks that ASU is not worthy of much press this year. CTT has done well in Tempe but not sure I care much this year. Put them in the same category as Texas Tech, Miami, Purdue, Auburn to cover teams that historical are strong WCBB programs but who will be suffering down years this year. Better stories elsewhere. That's why there are program specific forums on their school sites...

Whoa there!

That'll be an emphatic yellow card for even implying that not all fans of all teams are welcome to post threads and expound at length upon their thoughts. This is what our General WBB forum is here for! Speaking for myself, I have even more respect for the fans of non-elite teams who stand by their teams and remain active through thick and thin. A lot better than some of the fair-weather fans of certain other teams that took a huge nosedive recently.

And it's a second yellow card for just the bad look of pronouncing death on a team that just last year knocked off the team that thrashed UConn by 18 in Storrs. ASU may be having a down year (a little early to know just how down after a sample size of one game), but as Oregon found out last year, and Oregon State the year before, and far too many others to count, you discount the Devils at your peril.

 

[cancontent]

I'm looking forward to the game too. Canadians all over the court. ASU starts Junior Taya Hansen from BC. Highly recruited Maggie Besselink from Ontario didn't make it into the season opener.

Both teams have a strong international flavor although VCU is much broader in this regard with players from Russia (2), Lithuania, New Zealand in addition to Canada. ASU has an Australian on the team in addition to the two Canadians.

The VCU freshman Canadian guard scored 19 points in the opener of this tournament in Tempe. Certainly is going to be a challenge for ASU defensively against what looks to be a high scoring team.

In looking at the box score of the VCU game they have tremendous guard scoring as the vast majority of their points came from the back court While ASU is known as a strong defensive team they're going to certainly be challenged to slow down this high scoring group of guards. The three starting guards all scored in double figures and this is a three-point shooting team. Not only am I now looking forward to the game I'm a bit nervous.

One thing's for sure on an over-under I don't think VCU is going to score 80 plus points again.

I was able to stream Wednesday's game off the pac-12 site for ASU and figured out how to cast the game from my phone to the TV. Quality was poor but still better than nothing.

Fiund out that the 40 minute delay before the Wed game was due to covid protocol concerns. Wondering how things will tip off later today.

Thanks for this insight. My guess is that Besselink is still dealing with an injury. I thought I read something on a AZ website that talked about it.

Te'Biasu vs Hanson should be interesting if they're matched up. They've had to train against each other at Canada Basketball assessment camps. Not sure if they ever crossed paths at Canadian Nationals. Players from QC sometimes enter D1 in the States later than what you'd be used to because their high school system is different from the rest of the country.

But they're both feisty and like to compete. I'm just going to make sure I have a cold beer while I stream it tonight after work.

 

[azfan]

Well ASU is 2 an 0. Eboni Walker had her second consecutive Double-Double this time 13 points and 13 rebounds, following her 12 and 12 on Wed nite.

Devils had 20 plus offensive rebounds. And Sydney Caldwell got to ring the victory bell after the game due to an impressive fourth quarter. She took two charges, had a steal, hit all four of her for free throws and most importantly brought a much-needed energy into the game.

VCU which scored 87 points Wednesday night was held to 40 tonight.

That's the good news. ASU is in for a long long season. Six freshmen on the roster so there's a lot of teaching to do. ASU reduced their turnovers from 23 Wednesday night to 20 tonight. Both teams shot under 25% from the field and this was not entirely due to defense.

The importance of a competent point guard was evident in this game. After four years of Reilli Richardson CTT is searching for someone to run the type of offense she prefers. No one really stepped out. The lack of movement on the offensive end is breathtaking. The big freshman are going to need to hit the weight room in the off-season and get a lot stronger.

This is going to be the first time in quite a while that the Devils are going to be in the basement of the pac 12. A year of character building. Hard to tell whether they'll be the 8th 9th or 10th team in the conference but that's about the range that they'll end up.

In the Canadian face off I would say slight edge to the Hanson. She started the first quarter hot played very well throughout the game and rebounded the ball well. Her line included 12 points six rebounds and three steals. Her counterpart on VCU was held to six points on an off shooting night. She did have eight rebounds and four assists including one jaw-dropping pass. She clearly has potential. She's very quick.

One of my pet peeves came at the end of the first quarter. I'm always so surprised that ASU will screw up the end of the quarter at least three or four times if not more season.

Less than 20 seconds left ASU coming down with the ball clearly you wait for the last shot. ASU fires up a jump shot with 6 seconds left misses of course VCU comes down fouled as the quarter ends. They make the two free throws so really it's a four point turn around.

CTT is such a strong coach on fundamentals and it just amazes me that this continues to be a characteristic of the Sun dlDevils. Over the past four years with a strong set of guards including the three graduating seniors last year it continues to happen.

 

[azfan]

How to watch, what to expect when Arizona women’s basketball finally returns vs. NAU on Sunday

The last time the Arizona Wildcats took the court in a competitive event was March 7, 2020 against Oregon. That game was in the semifinals of the Pac-12 Tournament as both teams headed towards what...

www.azdesertswarm.com

I hour till tip. Game is live streamed.

 

[azfan]

NAU off to a 8-5 lead in the first quarter. Rodabaugh who scored 27 in NAU's opener has six. Cate Reese has all points for the kitties.

 

[azfan]

Kittens ahead by three at the end of the first quarter 18 to 15. Cate Reese scoring the ball (11 points) and interestingly enough seems to be alternating wearing a face mask. Currently as the quarter ends she doesn't have to face mask on but earlier in the quarter she did. Aari is 0 for the first quarter.

 

[azfan]

Kitties 0 for 5 from three land. Aari picks up her second foul, a frustration foul, as she continues to struggle.

 

[azfan]

Kitties lead Jacks 30-24 at the half.

 

[azfan]

Aari continues to struggle with her "jumper". Reese is showing how a top 10 team member should perform against a Big Sky opponent.

Jacey Bailey shows off her weird stroke with a three from the top of the key. And kitties lead falls to 12 after Bailey's second three.

 

[azfan]

No. 7 Arizona races past NAU in season opener at McKale Center

The seventh-ranked Wildcats start off the highly-anticipated season with a win over NAU.

tucson.com

Nice wrap up of yesterday's Uarizona NAU game. I'm wondering on the NAU side what's happened to Rasheed and Raiford

 

[azfan]

Well the Devils have found a small offensive spark in their third game of the season against St Mary's shooting over 50% from the field. 41 first half points. Sparked by continued energy from Sydney Caldwell and the only senior on the ASU squad Briyanna Sanders who had an outstanding first half.

Uncharacteristically the ASU defense has allowed Saint Mary's to shoot 50% from the field as well.

The difference in the game so far is turnovers as ASU is turn St Mary's over 12 times while limiting their own to four.

 

[azfan]

Devils end abbreviated preseason 3-0. Oddly the margin in all three games was 9 points!

ASU women's basketball finds offense for a half, improves to 3-0 ahead of Pac-12 play

ASU women find offense for a half, improving to 3-0 ahead of Pac-12 play starting Friday.

www.azcentral.com

 

[Lorcan]

The bad news for ASU is that they lost Van Hyfte for the rest of the season. She could've been a good rebounding presence for CTT, so we'll see how the wheel keeps turning in Tempe.

 

[azfan]

That is a huge loss for the Sun Devils. Jayde was one of those players who did all the dirty work and as a junior had great experience.

 

[azfan]

USC at Arizona State

ASU conference opener against Trojans will be live streamed beginning at 5:00 p.m. MST.

The southern Cal women's website claims the game will be broadcast on pac-12 network.

USC Women Pack Up For Pac-12 Trip Through Arizona - USC Athletics

With a season-opening victory under its belt, USC heads out of town for some Pac-12 action in the desert.

usctrojans.com

Last year the Devils swept Southern Cal in the regular season before getting tripped up in the tournament before cancellation. At home last year ASU stole a triple overtime victory from the Trojans in a game we really should have lost. That was the game that opened my eyes to Pili as well as the then freshman point guard Rogers.

This opening conference game should be a real good indication of the nature of CTT's young team. By the conclusion of this game we'll have a much better idea of how strong the defense is and how well this very young freshman dominated team can respond.

 

[azfan]

NAU news:

Currently all sports teams are working to overcome challenges but NAU has overcome some daunting obstacles as they prepare to enter Big Sky play. When Radford and Rasheed return the Lumberjacks are going to be formidable perhaps challenging the Griz for the title.

Loree Payne is done a magnificent job here in Flagstaff both in recruiting and culture building.

NAU Roundup: Rodabaugh named Big Sky Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Week

Starting for the first time in her Lumberjacks career during the season’s opening week, sophomore Emily Rodabaugh earned the Big Sky Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Week recognition.

azdailysun.com

"Sophomore Emily Rodabaugh earned the Big Sky Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Week recognition.

The honor, the first of Rodabaugh’s career, was announced Monday morning by the conference as the first week of the regular season came to a close. Averaging 20.5 points and 7.5 rebounds across Northern Arizona’s two games, she ended up as the only Big Sky player to rank inside the top eight of both stats."

Down 3 starters, NAU women's basketball off to 1-1 start behind Rodabaugh and Nakai

It's a safe bet to assume when a team is down the preseason conference MVP, the reigning newcomer of the year and a consistent starter to begin a season, things

azdailysun.com

"It's a safe bet to assume when a team is down the preseason conference MVP, the reigning newcomer of the year and a consistent starter to begin a season, things could start pretty rough.

Some of that is true for Northern Arizona women's basketball. But not the stuff about a rough start.

The Lumberjacks are without Big Sky preseason MVP Khiarica Rasheed, reigning Big Sky newcomer of the year Nina Radford and starting guard Lauren Orndoff but still came out of the opening week 1-1, with Big Sky play scheduled to start Saturday.

Radford and Rasheed are currently nursing injuries and are expected to return at a later date, while Orndoff is out indefinitely due to concern over the COVID-19 pandemic and the risk the virus has to her."