No. 18 Arizona State women defeat Washington 67-50
SEATTLE (AP) — Ja’Tavia Tapley scored 15 points, 10 players scored and No. 18 Arizona State defeated Washington 67-50 Friday night.
Jamie Ruden added 10 points for the Sun Devils (14-4, 4-2 Pac-12), who won a fourth-straight game. Reili Richardson added nine points and Robbi Rayn eight with four assists.
Washington (10-6, 2-3) leads the Pac-12 in forced turnovers and steals per game, but it was Arizona State’s opportunistic defense on display Friday, forcing 18 Huskies turnovers and turning those into 20 points.
Amber Melgoza led Washington with 13 points and four assists while Mai-Loni Henson scored 12 with eight rebounds and Haley Van Dyke scored 10 points,
ASU took an early lead on an Iris Mbulito step-back jumper and led by double digits through the second quarter. The Huskies rallied several times after halftime, coming as close as 48-40 early in the fourth, but Arizona State turned to defensive rebounds and steals to increase the lead.
An Mbulito steal and breakaway layup capped a 7-0 run and forced a UW timeout, trailing 58-42. The Sun Devils shot 50%, owned the paint 32-18 and the boards 33-27.
Washington plays three ranked teams in a row, hosting No. 21 Arizona on Sunday before traveling to No. 7 UCLA on Jan. 24.
