Arizona State women's basketball hopeful in return vs. Arizona
Arizona State women’s basketball just wants to play.
Yes, it does add to the fire to host No. 14 Arizona at Desert Financial Arena on Sunday. But last week’s forfeited games at Colorado and No. 10 Utah add an unmatched eagerness to return to the court.
“No one felt worse than myself and our team that we couldn’t compete,” ASU head coach Natasha Adair said. “It was unprecedented and as a coach, you want to be out there and in those moments. We had to work through their emotions, but their health and wellness is first.”
During Thursday’s news conference, Adair was unable to give the total of available players but said the team was in the right direction to play on Sunday.
The Sun Devils had to cancel the road trip two days before Friday’s scheduled game at Colorado after the team’s medical staff deemed the student-athletes unable to compete.
Several injuries have rocked the team this season and left the team with only four healthy scholarship players prior to last week’s scheduled trip to Colorado, Adair told KDUS AM 1060 on Tuesday. When the decision was made to cancel the games last weekend, the healthy remaining players used that time to practice while the other players rehabilitated their various injuries.
“We’ve felt horrible about not being able to compete and so they are ready,” Adair said. “They want to get back out there on the court and that’s why they’re here. The spirits are high, the energy is up as we’re trending forward and moving forward.”
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ASU has battled with injuries, resulting in its top three players logging significant minutes on the floor. Jaddan Simmons and Tyi Skinner are among the top 30 players in the NCAA in minutes per game, ranked 18th and 27th respectively. Treasure Hunt has also chipped in a significant amount with an average of 34:43 minutes.
“When you those three players that everyone keys in on and they’re shooting the ball better, I’m looking forward to seeing that on Sunday,” Adair said.
Skinner has been the team’s facilitator and has scored 20 or more points in 10 games and leads the team with 20.5 points per game. ASU was wobbly on offense in its 84-66 loss to Arizona on Dec. 29, but Skinner posted 26 points, the most an individual had scored against Arizona up to that point.
Although Adair has seen her team’s top three scorers shoulder a heavy workload, there’s been a supporting cast coming together. Meg Newman has sparked the team’s post-game and led the team in rebounding with nine against Arizona’s defense on Dec. 29. Trayanna Crisp has seen decent action on the floor as a true freshman guard and is “wise beyond her years.”
Arizona will not just be motivated by the rivalry, but will also be looking to bounce back from two consecutive losses to Colorado and Utah on the road last weekend. The storied rivalry has seen the series split over the last two seasons, including the 2020-21 season where Arizona advanced to the national championship game.
Men's basketball: Somers: ASU crashes late against UCLA. Can the Sun Devils recover?
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: ASU women's basketball hopeful in return amid last week's forfeits
