Women's basketball opens Pac-10 Tournament with win over Oregon State
Dymond Simon scored 13 points and Arizona State overcame poor shooting to beat Oregon State 50-44 Wednesday in the first round of the Pac-10 tournament.
The third-seeded Sun Devils (20-9), who will face either California or Washington in the second round Thursday, shot just 35.8 percent, including 5 of 19 from 3-point range, and committed 19 turnovers. Arizona State won the rebounding battle 35-25 and made all seven of its free throws.
Alyssa Martin and Sage Indendi had 10 points apiece to lead 10th-seeded Oregon State (9-21), which shot 40.9 percent.
Simon was just 4 of 15 from the field but came up big late, converting a three-point play for a 48-42 lead with 2:23 remaining.
The Beavers, who trailed by 15 early in the second half, closed the gap down the stretch, but the Sun Devils didn't let them get any closer.
Tenaya Watson added nine points and Becca Tobin had eight for Arizona State.
The Sun Devils used a 10-0 run spanning both halves to open their biggest lead at 35-20 on Olivia Major's 3-pointer.
With ASU's second unit on the floor, Oregon State answered with 10 straight points of its own to cut the deficit to five. The Beavers then got within three points on two occasions, including 45-42 with 3:36 left.
Oregon State had possession and was within four before Kimberly Brandon stole the ball with 21 seconds remaining, leading to an easy basket by Watson to seal it.
It was the Sun Devils' second win in five days over the Beavers. ASU ended the regular season with a 59-54 victory Saturday.