Freshman year: It's a time of promise and optimism ... much like the start of March Madness.
For Sabrina Haines, one of the five freshmen ASU Now is featuring in an occasional photo series, and her Sun Devil women's basketball teammates finished their regular season 26-7 and shared top honors in the Pac-12 standings with a record of 16-2. It led to their best-ever NCAA Tournament ranking, No. 2 seed.
Here's a look at the joy, the victory and the defeat of a tournament run.
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Sabrina Haines and her teammates wait in anticipation of the announcement of NCAA women's tournament standings at the Ed and Nadine Carson Student-Athlete Center on March 14.
Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
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Members of the ASU women's basketball team sit nervously as the NCAA Tournament draw is revealed.
Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
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And the No. 2 seed in the Souix Falls division goes to Arizona State University's Sun Devils!
Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
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Haines hugs her teammate, senior guard Arnecia Hawkins, as they get word of their seeding in the tournament.
Photo by Deanna Dent
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Haines looks astonished at her team's high ranking, the highest the Sun Devils women's team has ever been seeded.
Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
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Head coach Charli Turner Thorne addresses the media as Haines and her teammates watch, following their placement in the 2016 NCAA tournament.
Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
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Though not a starter, Haines, a guard, looks to move the ball upcourt during the first-round game against New Mexico State at Wells Fargo Arena on March 18.
Photo by Ben Moffat/ASU Now
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Haines fights for a rebound against New Mexico State senior guard Sasha Weber. During the regular season, Sabrina had 25 offensive and 47 defensive rebounds.
Photo by Ben Moffat/ASU Now
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Haines plays defense against the New Mexico State Aggies. During the season, she had 23 steals and four blocked shots.
Photo by Ben Moffat/ASU Now
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Haines runs on the court to congratulate senior Katie Hempen on hitting another three-point shot. Hempen finished as the Sun Devils' leading scorer with 20 points, including 6-for-6 three-pointers.
Photo by Ben Moffat/ASU Now
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Haines and her teammates thank their New Mexico State opponents on a good game following the first-round 74-52 Sun Devils victory.
Photo by Ben Moffat/ASU Now
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The Sun Devils leave their home court victors, but the joy is short-lived. Two days later, they faced University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball team and were defeated 75-64, thus ending their excellent season.
Photo by Ben Moffat/ASU Now
See previous entries in this series:
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