TEMPE, Ariz. — Sophie Brunner had 15 points and 11 rebounds and No. 9 Arizona State shook off a slow start to beat Washington State 61-39 on Friday night for its 20th victory in 21 games.
Arnecia Hawkins added 11 points for the Sun Devils (23-4, 14-1 Pac-12). They again rode Brunner after her buzzer-beater knocked off Stanford in overtime Sunday.
Alexys Swedlund scored nine points for the Cougars (12-14, 3-12) in their ninth straight loss. Hobbled top scorer Borislava Hristova was held to two points on 1-of-6 shooting.
The Sun Devils committed eight first-quarter turnovers, but started the second on a 10-0 run. Brunner’s layup at the halftime buzzer made it 36-23, and Arizona State led by as many as 23 points in the second half in their fifth straight win.
Arizona completed a regular-season sweep of the Cougars, who are 18-42 against the Sun Devils.
Brunner came in as Arizona State’s only player averaging double-digit scoring at 10.8 points. That’s down a point from a year ago, and coach Charli Turner Thorne has mentioned wanting to get Brunner more shots after she returned from an early-season ankle injury.
The 6-foot-1 junior has showed why lately. Her fadeaway at the overtime buzzer Sunday kept the Sun Devils tied atop the Pac-12. And she didn’t let up against the overmatched Cougars.
The post player dominated inside, hitting 6 of 11 shots and 3 of 4 free throws for her second straight double-double and third of the season.
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