Sun Devil WBB Goes on the Road to Face Miami

WHAT: Sun Devil Women’s Basketball (2-0) at Miami (2-1)

WHEN: Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET/5 p.m. MT

WHERE: BankUnited Center, Coral Gables, Fla.

RADIO: 1440 AM KAZG (pre-game coverage begins at 4:30 p.m. in Arizona)

LIVE STREAM: Fee-based service via University of Miami’s website. Click this link for more information.

UP NEXT

After notching a pair of home wins to open the 2014-15 campaign, the Sun Devil women’s basketball team will leave the state of Arizona for the first time this season when it travels to Coral Gables, Florida, to take on the University of Miami (Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET/5 p.m PT).

The Sun Devils (2-0) opened the season with an 81-67 victory over Middle Tennessee on Nov. 14 and followed that up with an 83-54 victory over Bakersfield last Wednesday.

Tuesday’s game is the first of four the Sun Devils will play in the state of Florida this week. After taking on Miami, ASU will next head to Estero, Florida, for the 2014 Gulf Coast Showcase, a tournament-style competition in which the Sun Devils will play three games in three days (Fri., Nov. 28 - Sun., Nov. 30.

ASU will open play in the Gulf Coast Showcase on Friday when it takes on Villanova in the first round. Depending on its result, ASU will next play either Georgia Tech or Green Bay on Saturday. The Sun Devils will then close out play on Sunday. Depending on how they fare the first two days, the Sun Devils could potentially face two-time defending national champion UConn in the championship game of the Gulf Coast Showcase.

Sophomore F Sophie Brunner (21.0 ppg - 5th in the Pac-12, 9.5 rpg - tied for 7th in the Pac-12) has led the Sun Devils’ attack in the first two games. Brunner is shooting 50 percent from the floor (12-24) and 90 percent (18-20) from the free throw line.

Right behind Brunner are junior G Elisha Davis and R-junior G Katie Hempen, who are currently tied for 22nd in the Pac-12, averaging 12.0 ppg.

RADIO/VIDEO STREAM

Tuesday’s game can be heard live on 1440 AM KAZG. Pre-game coverage will begin at 4:30 p.m. in Arizona. Veteran broadcaster and the state of Arizona’s 2010 Broadcaster of the Year Jeff Munn is in his 11th season as the voice of ASU women’s basketball. The game will also be streamed on Miami’s website. Please note the video stream is part of a fee-based subscription service. Click this link for more information.

SCOUTING MIAMI/SERIES NOTES

Miami (2-1) has won two of its first three contests, defeating Oakland (66-53) and North Florida (81-53) at home and falling to Middle Tennessee (53-48) on the road.

The Hurricanes have been led by sophomore guards Adrienne Motley (14.0 ppg) and Jennifer Thomas (11.7 points per game), who have combined to average 25.7 points in Miami’s first three contests. A third (22/66) of Miami’s field goals in its first three games have come via the long ball. Only 2.4 percentage points separates Miami’s overall field goal percentage (37.3) from its 3-point shooting percentage (34.9).

Tuesday’s game is a rematch of last year’s contest, won by the Sun Devils, 75-73 in Tempe. Four Sun Devils reached double digits in scoring led by former Sun Devil Adrianne Thomas, who led the way with 14 points (14-17 FTs) while Promise Amukamara, Katie Hempen and Kelsey Moos all scored 10 points each. ASU overcame a nine-point deficit before having to hold off the Hurricanes in the final seconds to secure the win.

The Sun Devils will look to improve to 3-0 all-time against Miami. In addition to last season’s win, ASU also defeated Miami 78-74 in 1988 in Tempe.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

• In their first two games, the Sun Devils defeated teams – Middle Tennessee (Conference USA) and Bakersfield (Western Athletic Conference) – who were picked to win each of their respective conferences.

• ASU is 13-1 in non-conference games going back to last season. That record includes an 8-0 record at home, a 2-1 record on the road and a 3-0 record in neutral site games. It also includes wins

over No. 11 North Carolina (2013) and No. 20 Syracuse (2013). ASU’s only non-conference loss the last two seasons was in the second game of the last season, a 61-53 setback at San Diego. 

•  As of Nov. 24, the Sun Devils rank in the top third of the Pac-12 in scoring margin (2nd/+21.5), free throw percentage (2nd/78.3), scoring defense (3rd/60.5 ppg), 3-point FG percentage defense (3rd/26.1), turnover margin (3rd/+4.5), steals (t3rd/9.0 spg), assist-to-turnover ratio (3rd/1.3), offensive rebounds (3rd/17/0 rpg), scoring offense (4th/82.0 ppg), field goal percentage defense (4th/35.8), rebounding margin (4th/+6.0) and blocked shots (4th/5/5 bpg).

• ASU has done an excellent job taking care of the basketball as it is averaging only 12.5 turnovers in its first two games.

• The Sun Devils have had fast starts in each of their first two games as they have had double-digit halftime leads – 39-27 vs. Middle Tennessee and 38-23 vs. Bakersfield – in both contests.

SUN DEVIL WBB TO HONOR JERSEY OF HALL OF FAMER KYM HAMPTON ON DEC. 6

Kym Hampton, a member of the Sun Devil Sports Hall of Fame who was ASU’s first All-American in women’s basketball and who went on to star professionally – both internationally and in the WNBA – will have her No. 32 jersey honored and displayed from the rafters of Wells Fargo Arena on Sat., Dec. 6 when the Sun Devils host SMU. 

One of the most decorated players to ever wear a Sun Devil jersey, Hampton (1981-84) is ASU’s all-time career leader (men’s or women’s basketball) in scoring (2,361 points) and rebounds (1,415). 

Hampton was the first ASU women’s basketball player to earn all-America honors (1981-1982). In addition to the aforementioned career scoring and rebounding records, Hampton set several other records, many of which still stand today, including: most career blocks (178), most points (683) and rebounds (413) in a season and most points (44), rebounds (28) and field goals (19 - tied) in a single game.

 Hampton’s play helped lead ASU to a four-year record of 76-34, including a pair of NCAA Sweet 16 appearances. She led ASU to its first postseason appearance in 1981 as the Sun Devils advanced to the championship game of the National Women’s Invitation Tournament. Hampton’s 23 points enabled ASU to upset top-seeded Tennessee Tech 85-76 in the opening round. The following season, Hampton scored 31 points to pace the Sun Devils as they defeated Georgia 97-77 in their first ever NCAA Tournament game, which was played in Tempe. In 1983, Hampton tallied a double-double against Utah to help lead the Sun Devils back to the Sweet 16.

Hampton concluded her remarkable Sun Devil career in being named the 1984 Sun Angel Athlete of the Year, an award which honored academic and athletic excellence.

 Following her ASU career, Hampton took her talents to the international stage where she excelled for more than 12 years, helping her teams win four championships along the way. She reached the pinnacle of women’s professional basketball in 1997 when she was chosen by the New York Liberty in the first round of the WNBA Elite Draft. Hampton started every game during the franchise’s first three seasons, which included a pair of WNBA runner-up appearances. She averaged 9.3 points and 5.8 rebounds in her three years with the Liberty. She forever etched her spot in team history by scoring the franchise’s first ever basket in 1997.

Hampton will join Ryneldi Becenti as the only the Sun Devil women’s basketball players to have their jerseys hung from the rafters of Wells Fargo Arena.

SUN DEVIL WBB TO PARTICIPATE IN 2014 GULF COAST SHOWCASE

The Sun Devil women’s basketball team will be participating in the 2014 Gulf Coast Showcase, which includes defending national champion UConn, taking place Nov. 28-30 at Germain Arena in Southwest Florida.

Each of the eight teams in the field will play three games in three days. The Gulf Coast Showcase will follow a tournament-style format in which a tournament champion will ultimately be crowned on the final day. There will also be games contested to determine third-, fifth- and seventh-place finishers. 

The Sun Devils will open tournament play on Fri., Nov. 28 (2:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. MT) when they take on 2014 WNIT participant Villanova (23-9 in 2013-14). The winner of that contest will take on the winner of Friday’s first game (noon ET) between 2014 NCAA Tournament participant Georgia Tech (20-12 in 2013-14) and 2014 WNIT participant Green Bay (22-10 in 2013-14).

The winning teams of Friday’s games will face off on Sat., Nov. 29 at 6 p.m. ET (4 p.m. MT) while the losing teams will play earlier that day at noon ET.

The championship game of the tournament will take place on Sun., Nov. 30 at 8:30 p.m. ET (6:30 p.m. MT).

The championship game entry on ASU’s half of the bracket will face either 2014 NCAA national champion UConn (40-0 in 2013-14), 2014 NCAA Tournament participant Vanderbilt (18-13 in 2013-14), 2014 WNIT participant Minnesota (22-13 in 2013-14) or 2014 WBI participant College of Charleston (19-15 in 2014).

ASU’s most recent contest against a team in the tourney field came last March when the Sun Devils defeated Vanderbilt, 69-61, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. In 2009, the Sun Devils faced unbeaten UConn in the Trenton Regional final with a berth in the Final Four on the line. ASU would give the Huskies one of their toughest games of the season before coming up short against the eventual national champions, 83-64.

The week of the Gulf Coast Showcase will be arguably the most demanding of the 2014-15 regular season for the Sun Devils, who will be playing four games away from home in the span of seven days. On Nov. 25 – three days before facing Villanova – ASU will be in Coral Gables, Fla., where it will face 2014 WNIT participant Miami (16-15 in 2013-14).

TURNER THORNE GUIDES SUN DEVIL WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TO ELITE STATUS

The all-time winningest coach in program history and No. 2 in the Pac-12 in career wins (327), Charli Turner Thorne has turned Sun Devil women’s basketball into one of the nation’s premiere programs since taking over in 1996-97. Included in ASU’s earlier run of 13 consecutive postseason appearances (2000-12) were a school record five-consecutive NCAA Tournament bids from 2005-09. During that time the Sun Devils qualified for the Elite Eight on a pair of occasions, making ASU one of only 15 programs in the country to have qualified for the Elite Eight at least two times between 2007-12.

In 2013-14, Turner Thorne helped the Sun Devils post one of the best turnarounds in the country as they went from a 13-18 record and a ninth-place Pac-12 finish (5-13) the previous season to a 23-10 record and fourth-place Pac-12 finish (11-7). Included among ASU’s 23 wins last season were three triumphs over Top 25 teams.

On Jan. 25, 2013, Turner Thorne became the third Pac-12 coach to reach 300 victories following ASU’s 60-53 win over USC, a game in which ASU came back from 16 down in the second half. 

A closer look at Turner Thorne’s path to 300 puts into perspective the incredible 180-degree turnaround Sun Devil women’s basketball has undergone since she came to ASU. To reach 150 wins it took Turner Thorne 272 games (150-122 - .551) as she rebuilt a program that had an aggregate record of 20-60 in the three years prior to her arrival and only two NCAA Tournament wins in its history. It would take her 215 games to get 150 more wins. Since picking up her 150th win at ASU, Turner Thorne is 177-85 (.678). Included in those wins are nine of Turner Thorne’s 12 NCAA Tournament victories.

Most recently, Turner Thorne led the Sun Devils to the NCAA Tournament for the ninth time in her ASU tenure. Among schools that qualified for the 2014 NCAA Tournament, ASU’s nine NCAA bids since 2000 are the second-most in the West.

 SUN DEVIL WBB AMONG NATION'S BEST IN THE CLASSROOM

The 2013-14 Arizona State University women’s basketball team was among the top 25 women’s basketball programs in the classroom in 2013-14 as the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced its 2014 Academic Team Honor Rolls on Thursday.

The Sun Devil women’s basketball team’s combined team GPA of 3.412 was No. 21 among NCAA Division I institutions. ASU was one of only three teams (DePaul and Florida Gulf Coast) among the WBCA’s top 25 that also participated in the 2014 NCAA Tournament.

The WBCA Academic Top 25 annually recognizes NCAA Division I, II and III; NAIA; and junior/community college women’s basketball teams across the nation that carry the highest combined grade point average (GPA) inclusive of all student-athletes on their rosters for the entire season. The 2013-14 season is the 19th in which the WBCA has compiled the honor rolls.

In March, the Sun Devils had the highest combined number (3) of first- (1 - Joy Burke) and second-team (2 - Elisha Davis and Deja Mann) honorees represented on the Pac-12’s All-Academic Team. Also earning Pac-12 honorable mention recognition were Promise Amukamara, Katie Hempen and Eliza Normen.

Since the 1996-97 season, head coach Charli Turner Thorne’s first season at ASU, the Sun Devils lead the Pac-12 in the number of first-team All-Academic conference awards (15) and the combined number of first- and second-team All-Academic conference awards (34).