TEMPE, Ariz. -- Promise Amukamara scored 16 points and Kelsey Moos posted her first career double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds) to lead the Arizona State women’s basketball team to a 86-65 win over Providence on Saturday.
The Sun Devils used big scoring runs and an outstanding effort from their bench to improve to 3-1 on the season.
Also scoring in double figures for the Sun Devils, who shot higher than 50 percent (52.4) for the second straight game were Joy Burke (14 points), Deja Mann (12 points) and Elisha Davis, who scored a career-high 11 points (all in the second half).
ASU looked inside to Burke early and often, as the senior center had 12 points and six rebounds in the first 10 minutes of the game. Burke came one rebound short of a double-double as she grabbed nine rebounds to go along with her 14 points.
Arizona State’s bench came up big on Saturday, outscoring the Providence bench 40-6. Burke and Davis led the way as the duo combined for 25 points.
Providence (4-2) was led by Tori Rule, who finished with 22 points and five rebounds. Sarah Beal added 17 points and five rebounds for the Friars, who were held 20 points below their scoring average (85.2 ppg).
The Sun Devils dominated the glass from the outset, and finished the game with a 48-32 rebounding advantage. ASU was especially dominant on the offensive glass, finishing with 18 offensive rebounds, which led to 21 second-chance points.
ASU head coach Charli Turner Thorne was extremely pleased with how well the Sun Devils rebounded the ball on Saturday.
“This is our best rebounding performance by far this season and that was great to see,” Turner Thorne said.
Arizona State started off slow on the offensive end, but back-to-back 3-pointers by Katie Hempen and Mann sparked an 8-0 Sun Devil run that gave ASU a 9-3 lead with 15 minutes remaining in the first half.
There were seven lead changes in a back-and-forth first half, but the Sun Devils were able to work their way to a 45-36 halftime lead thanks to a 10-2 run to close the half.
Big runs were the story in the first half, and the second half was no different for the Sun Devils as they went on a 9-2 run to start the half to take a 54-38 lead with just under 17 minutes remaining.
Providence was able to close within nine midway through the second half, but ASU responded with a 20-3 run to take a 83-57 lead with just under three minutes left to seal the win.
ASU pressured Providence all game long, as the Friars shot just 21-for-58 on the afternoon, a mere 36 percent. The Friars especially struggled in the second half, shooting 9-28 (32 percent).
“After our game against Texas Tech we were not happy with our defense,” Turner Thorne said. “But we worked on it all week and I think that it showed.”
For ASU, Saturday’s game represented the third time this season it has scored more than 80 points, a feat it accomplished once last season.
