A Historic Start, A Four-way Tie, And Now Arizona State Heads To TCU

TCU women’s basketball continues a two-game homestand against Arizona State on Sunday. The Sun Devils (16-1 overall, 3-1 Big 12) have gotten off to a historic start and will provide the No. 13 Horned Frogs (15-1, 3-1) another chance to prove themselves against a potential NCAA tournament team. Both teams are in a four-way tie for second place in the Big 12 standings behind Texas Tech (17-0, 4-0).

Last Time Out: TCU

TCU bounced back from its first loss of the season with a 69-61 win over Oklahoma State. Guard Olivia Miles had 20 points and eight assists while Clara Silva added 12 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks. The win gave TCU 35 straight at home, the second-longest streak in Division I.

The Horned Frogs held Oklahoma State, the Big 12’s best 3-point shooting team, to 18% from deep (4-of-22) and a season-low in points.

Last Time Out: Arizona State

Arizona State remained near the top of the Big 12 standings with a 68-45 win over UCF. The Sun Devils held the Knights to 30% shooting from the field (16-of-52) and used a 10-0 scoring run in the third quarter to pull away.

Forward Heloisa Carrera scored a game-high 20 points, and forward McKinna Brackens posted a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Scouting Arizona State

Arizona State started the season 15-0, including a 2-0 start in conference, under first-year head coach Molly Miller before losing at BYU on Jan. 3. The 15 wins to open a season is the best start in program history and matches the 2008-09 and 2015-16 teams for longest winning streaks in program history.

Miller came to Tempe after five seasons at Grand Canyon. Her final year as an Antelope featured a 30-game win streak, WAC regular season and tournament titles, and the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance. She has quickly rebuilt a 10-22 team through the transfer portal, led by graduate guard Gabby Elliott and Brackens, a 6-1 junior transfer from UNLV.

Elliott, a Penn State transfer, paces Arizona State on offense with 15.9 points per game alongside 4.8 rebounds. Brackens averages 15.4 points on 48.6% shooting and 7.5 rebounds, a top-10 mark in the Big 12. Brackens also hits a team-high 40% from 3-point range (11-of-27), but Elliott and Marley Washenitz have combined for 134 of Arizona State’s 243 attempts from deep.

On defense, the Sun Devils rank in the top five among Big 12 teams in steals per game (10.76) and turnover margin (+4.24). Elliot and Washenitz each snag over two steals per game. The Sun Devils have had a couple of close calls this season, like an overtime win at Oregon State and a one-point victory over Utah, but the defensive intensity and desire to play hard for coach Miller have pushed this team to new heights.

Up Next

TCU and Arizona State will tip off at 4 p.m. from Schollmaier Arena on Sunday, Jan. 11. The game will be televised on ESPN+ and broadcast on KTCU 88.7 FM.

Last Time Out: TCU

Last Time Out: Arizona State

Scouting Arizona State

Up Next

Recommended Links