Temple-Arizona St. Preview

3/20/2008 9:52 AM

By MATT BECKER
STATS Writer

After suffering twice as many losses in 2007-08 from a season ago, Arizona State coach Charli Turner Thorne was pleased with the seeding her team received in the NCAA tournament. She's probably even more excited that it doesn't have to open up against a ranked opponent.

In the Oklahoma City Regional, the sixth-seeded Sun Devils look to advance to the second round of the NCAAs for the fourth straight time when they meet 11th-seeded Temple Sunday in College Park, Md.

Last season, Arizona State finished 31-5 and was a No. 3 seed in the tournament. The Sun Devils won their first three games before losing to Rutgers in the regional finals - the furthest the program has ever advanced.

Arizona State (21-10) is back in the NCAA tournament for the fourth straight season and the sixth time in the last eight years, but it didn't always play like a tournament-bound team this season.

The Sun Devils opened 6-5 and finished winless in nine games against Top 25 opponents. They managed to finish third in the Pac-10 and lost to then-No. 10 California 65-61 in the conference tournament semifinals on March 9.

"I am really excited," Turner Thorne said. "I thought 6 was as high as we probably would get seeded and we got that. So I'm just really proud of our team right now."

Arizona State is led by 6-foot-3 Lauren Lacey, who averages 12.5 points and 5.8 rebounds a game. Lacey, a transfer from Minnesota, is hoping to bounce back from her worst game of the season, as she scored a season-low four points on 2-for-8 shooting in the loss to the Golden Bears.

Guard Briann January averages 11.2 points, a team-high 4.5 assists, and a conference-best 2.3 steals per game. January, the Pac-10 defensive player of the year, averaged 16.3 points and shot 7-of-9 from 3-point range in three NCAA tournament games in 2006-07.

"Heading into the NCAA tournament it brings back that excitement again," January said. "It's the start of a new season. We have to get ready to get after it, get ready to scout Temple and go to work."

The Owls (21-12) are making their fifth straight trip to the NCAA tournament and seventh overall. They advanced to the second round last season for the third time in school history, but have never made it to the regional semifinals.

Temple has won 14 of its last 16 games, but had a seven-game winning streak end with a 47-42 loss to Xavier in the Atlantic 10 tournament championship on March 10.

The Owls are led by their stingy defense, which allowed a league-low 56.0 points per game. They have also held each of their last six opponents to 40.0 percent shooting or less. The Sun Devils, meanwhile, are the third-highest scoring team in the Pac-10, averaging 65.5 points.

Temple senior Ashley Morris, who was named to the all-conference team, is averaging a team-high 15.1 points.

Arizona State is 2-0 all-time against the Owls, but this will be their first meeting since 1988. The winner faces No. 9 Duke, the third seed, or 14th-seeded Murray State on Tuesday.