ESTERO, Fla. – Promise Amukamara tied her career high with 21 points, Eliza Normen came off the bench to score a career-high 12 points and Arnecia Hawkins scored all 12 of her points in the second half to help lead the Sun Devil women's basketball team to a 62-57 win over Vanderbilt in the third-place game of the Gulf Coast Showcase.
Kelsey Moos added 11 points for the Sun Devils (5-1), who shot 53 percent from the floor.
Hawkins and Normen combined to score 24 of ASU's 26 bench points in the game. Their performances took on even greater significance as Sophie Brunner (20 minutes – 6 points) and Katie Hempen (19 minutes – 3 points), ASU's top two scorers coming into the game, were both plagued by foul trouble the entire contest.
Vanderbilt (5-2) was led by Rebekah Dahlman, who posted 19 points.
Although ASU scored the first basket of the game, it was Vanderbilt that controlled the entire first half as the Commodores led by as many as 11 points. It was then that Amukamara stepped up and scored six straight points to quickly cut Vanderbilt's lead to 27-22 with 2:55 remaining in the half. Vanderbilt would eventually go back up by eight before the Sun Devils cut it to five points, 33-28 at the half.
The Commodores would lead for the first eight-plus minutes of the second half as the Devils got within one on two different occasions. Helping ASU stay within striking distance was Hawkins, who at one point scored six straight points for the Sun Devils.
Normen, who scored six points in each half, scored on a layup to give ASU its first lead since the game's opening seconds, 42-41 with 11:42 remaining.
After the Commodores reclaimed the lead on their ensuing possession, Amukamara would take over as she scored ASU's next nine points to help the Sun Devils take a 51-47 lead with under eight minutes remaining.
Although the Commodores would get within three or fewer points on three occasions, the Sun Devils would not relinquish the lead for the remainder of the game. A 3-pointer by Hempen, a pair of triples from Hawkins and clutch free throw shooting by Moos (5-6) helped the Sun Devils maintain their advantage, which grew to as many as seven points four times over the last four-plus minutes of the game.
Sunday's game was the last on ASU's road trip to the state of Florida in which they played four games in six days and concluded the trip with a 3-1 record.
The Sun Devils return to action on Saturday (3 p.m. MT) when they host SMU at Wells Fargo Arena. Fans are invited to come out and show their support for Sun Devil Hall of Famer Kym Hampton, who will have her jersey honored in a special halftime ceremony. The game will be televised by Pac-12 Networks.
