TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) A few shots fell inside, giving Arizona State hope. A 3-pointer went down, finally, trimming a once-massive lead to a manageable margin.
Another 3-pointer fell, banked-in from long distance and against the shot clock, no less.
A couple of more shots drop inside, one big block at the end and the Sun Devils are headed to the Sweet 16 after one of the greatest comebacks in program history.
Elisha Davis hit a late 3-pointer with the shot clocking winding down and had a game-ending blocked shot, helping Arizona State rally from a 16-point deficit to beat Arkansas-Little Rock 57-54 Monday night in the Greensboro Region of the NCAA Tournament.
''We all believed. We just all believed,'' Arizona State coach Charli Turner Thorne. ''Before you know it, we're banking in 40-foot 3-pointers and winning the game.''
Arizona State (29-5), the region's No. 3, appeared to be headed toward an early exit in the NCAA Tournament after struggling against UALR's quickness and defensive pressure. The Sun Devils couldn't get any shots to fall, even from right under the rim, and were still down 13 with nine minutes left.
Arizona State clawed its way back by getting the ball in the paint, passing up shots along the perimeter to work the ball inside almost exclusively against the smaller Trojans. The shots that didn't fall earlier in the game started to drop and the constant pounding began to take a toll on UALR as the home crowd rallied around the Sun Devils.
Sophie Brunner put the Sun Devils up 53-52 on a putback with 54 seconds left, Kelsey Moos scored another basket inside and Davis blocked Alexius Dawn's last-second 3-pointer to send the Sun Devils to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2009.
Brunner had 17 points and 11 rebounds to lead Arizona State. Promise Amukamara added 17 points for the Sun Devils, who face Florida State in the regional semifinals in Greensboro, North Carolina, on Friday.
''We have a lot of confidence in one another, especially in end of the game situations,'' Moos said. ''We knew that if we could claw back into that game and get ourselves in it at the end that we'd have a chance to win it.
Despite Arizona State's rally, UALR (29-5) still seemed to be in control with just over 2 minutes left, leading 50-44.
Davis gave the Sun Devils hope and crushed UALR's with the biggest shot of her career.
The junior guard struggled to get anything to fall most of the night, but made a big shot when it counted, banking in a 3-pointer from well beyond the 3-point line with the shot clock winding down. The shot, which came with 2:11 left, kept the Sun Devils within three and brought the crowd to its feet.
''I thought that was the difference in the game,'' UALR coach Joe Foley said. ''If she hadn't made that shot and we get the rebound, then it might have been a different outcome. That was huge right there.''
UALR (29-5) dominated the first half, using its quickness to force Arizona State into 11 turnovers while holding the Sun Devils to 6 of 28 from the floor. The Trojans were decent offensively in the first half, too, paced by leading scorer Taylor Gault.
Everything changed over the game's final nine minutes.
The shots that were falling clanged away. Gault took four shots and scored two points after halftime, finishing with 10.
UALR's motion offense also seemed to go nowhere, leading to a scoreless drought of 5 1-2 minutes that allowed Arizona State to rally.
The biggest difference was on the defensive end.
Despite struggling to get shots to fall inside, the Sun Devils continued to pound the ball inside against UALR. Once the Sun Devils got a few to fall and the fans got into the game, the Trojans had a hard time stopping them.
Arizona State made 15 of 28 shots in the second half and scored some of the game's biggest baskets in the lane - outside of Davis' long 3 - to end UALR's record-breaking season with a disappointing loss.
Kaitlyn Pratt had 12 points to lead the Trojans. Kiera Clark and Ka'Nesheia Cobbins added 11 each.
''They were just determined,'' Gault said. ''We never gave up, we just let little things slip our minds, and they just came back and won.''
TIP INS
UALR: The Trojans went 2 for 10 from 3-point range. ... Dawn, UALR's starting point guard was 1 for 10 from the floor and missed all seven of her 3-point shots to finish with two points.
Arizona State: Amukamara made all three of her first-half shots while her teammates went a combined 3 for 25. ... Arizona State had a 41-32 rebounding advantage, including 18 on the offensive glass.
UP NEXT
UALR's season is over after the Trojans set a school record for wins.
Arizona State will face Florida State in Friday's regional semifinals in Greensboro, North Carolina.
