TEMPE, Ariz. — The Molly Miller era of Arizona State women’s basketball began with a comeback victory Monday night, as the Sun Devils stormed past Coppin State 67–53 behind a dominant fourth quarter and four players scoring in double figures.
The debut didn’t start smoothly. ASU trailed by four at halftime and appeared in trouble after Coppin State opened the third quarter with an 11–3 run to extend its lead. But Miller’s squad responded with energy and pressure down the stretch, outscoring the Eagles 27–10 in the final period to secure the win and start the season 1–0.
Marley Washenitz, a transfer guard from Pittsburgh, led ASU with 17 points on 5-of-13 shooting, including a pair of three-pointers. Gabby Elliott, who transferred from Penn State, added 16 points and was a defensive force, collecting seven of the Sun Devils’ 19 steals.
Arizona State shot 41.3% from the field and struggled from deep (2-of-19), but made up for it by turning Coppin State’s mistakes into points — scoring 37 points off 33 turnovers.
“I knew we’d need a little time to knock off the rust and calm the jitters,” Miller said. “I didn’t know it would take three quarters, but our defense kept us in it until our offense caught up.”
When the perimeter shots weren’t falling, ASU’s guards turned to their frontcourt to get the offense back on track. Heloisa Carrera and McKinna Brackens dominated the paint, combining for 21 points and 13 rebounds as ASU outscored Coppin State 36–18 inside.
Carrera sparked the comeback with six of her 13 points in the fourth quarter, hitting 3-of-4 shots in the paint. Brackens controlled the glass with a team-high eight rebounds. Meanwhile, Last-Tear Poa directed the attack with 10 assists, constantly finding open teammates as the Sun Devils built rhythm and confidence.
“El’s a great player — if she’s hot, we’re going to feed her,” Washenitz said. “It wasn’t about one player; it was about everyone picking it up — on defense and on offense.”
Miller kept her rotation tight in the opener, leaning heavily on her starting five of Elliott, Washenitz, Poa, Brackens and Carrera to build early-season chemistry. The unit thrived defensively, with Elliott and Washenitz combining for 11 steals to fuel ASU’s fast-break attack.
“I feed off Marley a lot — she’s the glue to this team,” Elliott said. “Tonight it was me with seven steals, but next game it could be her or McKinna. That’s just who we are defensively.”
A Rough Third Quarter
The Sun Devils looked vulnerable in the third period, as Coppin State’s Khila Morris scored nine points and the Eagles hit 3-of-4 from beyond the arc to outscore ASU 11–3. Elliott’s layup off a late turnover helped ASU trim the deficit to 43–40 heading into the fourth.
Coppin State Challenges Early
Coppin State proved tough in the first half, cutting ASU’s lead to two with a 7–0 run late in the second quarter. Poa’s basket off a turnover gave the Sun Devils a bit of breathing room before halftime, leading 29–25 at the break despite shooting only 31.3% from the field and 1-of-14 from three. Washenitz led all scorers at the half with 10 points, while Paris McBride paced the Eagles with eight.
Early Jitters Fade
ASU overcame early nerves in the opening quarter, forcing six turnovers and building a 16–12 lead. Miller started big, with Elliott, Washenitz, and Poa in the backcourt and Carrera and Brackens in the frontcourt — a lineup that set the defensive tone despite some early offensive inconsistency.
By the end of the night, Arizona State had shown both its growing pains and its potential — resilient defense, depth across the roster, and flashes of the aggressive style Miller promised to bring.
“I’d love more fourth quarters like that one,” Miller said. “But if we keep defending like we did tonight, we’ll give ourselves a chance every game.”
