CANCUN, Mexico (AP) -- Adrianne Thomas scored 23 points as Arizona State outscored No. 11 North
Carolina 17-4 in overtime for a 94-81 upset win on Friday.
North
Carolina's Diamond DeShields made a bucket to start overtime, but
Arizona State responded with a 9-0 run. After the Tar Heels' second
basket, which came two minutes later, Deja Mann's hit a 3-pointer to start the Sun Devils' final
8-0 run.
"Coming into this game, we had a very confident
basketball team," ASU coach Charli Turner Thorne said. "Every one who
played, played well. We really believed in ourselves that we could play
great position defense without fouling and that we could score the
basketball in a lot of different ways."
In regulation, North
Carolina was ahead 72-67 with 1:01 left, but the Tar Heels missed 3 of 4
free throws in the final 15 seconds. That gave the Sun Devils a shot
with 9 seconds remaining. Deja Mann missed a 3-pointer, but Thomas got
the rebound and made the shot as time expired.
Thomas led four
Arizona State (5-1) players in double figures. Mann had 17, Joy Burke 13
and Sophie Brunner, Katie Hempen added 10 apiece.
"Adrianne continued to just be fantastic in terms of
pushing the ball and creating with her penetration," Turner Thorne said.
"We got big shooting from Deja and Katie, and Joy
continued to play at the high level we know she can. Sophie
had been hobbled a little bit because of a sprained ankle and hadn't been
herself, but I would say Sophie is back. She was great from the line and came
up with some big rebounds for us."
