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Skinner’s Fourth Quarter Surge Helps Sun Devils Past Eagles

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BIMINI, Bahamas – It was big shot after big shot for Tyi Skinner on Friday afternoon against American at the Goombay Splash, whose 14 of 24 fourth-quarter points helped the Sun Devils outlast the Eagles, 70-61, to improve to 5-0 for the first time since 2002-03.

A 64-61 game with under a minute remaining, Skinner delivered the final dagger with a jumper to make it a two possession game. The Sun Devil defense hunkered down down the stretch, allowing just six points in the final three minutes of play, and Skinner and Jaddan Simmons sank four late free throws to cement the win.

“We had 23 offensive rebounds, 23 second-chance points, 26 bench points,” head coach Natasha Adair said postgame. “That means we’re growing and we’re getting deeper and deeper as a team. … Our group was poised all the way through. We made free throws down the stretch, – 14-for-20 – we made all the plays that we needed to win.”

The Eagles used a pair of buckets to cut the Sun Devil lead to one with just over two minutes remaining, but Meg Newman connected with a cutting Trayanna Crisp, who laid it in for a 62-59 lead. It was the theme of the fourth quarter – and the game at-large – as the Sun Devils were wonderful in the face of adversity.

Newman, Crisp and Isadoura…

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