TEMPE, Ariz. (November 5, 2026) – The Northern Arizona women's basketball team couldn't overcome a 22-point second-half deficit and fell 79-52 to the Sun Devils on Thursday evening inside Desert Financial Arena.

NAU drops its season opener to stand at 0-1, while ASU improves to 2-0 in the young season.

Layla Davis and Aaliyah Smith paced NAU with 10 points each, while Emma Dasovich and Alondra Lizama each collected a team-high six rebounds and Morgan Hawkins dished five assists to lead the way in dimes. The 'Jacks were outrebounded 45-32 but held the Sun Devils to 22.2% shooting from beyond the arc.

Arizona State was led by Ruby Whitehorn, who notched a double-double by way of 25 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 11-of-13 from the floor. The Sun Devils used their size to nearly double-up NAU on points in the paint, 44-22. The 'Jacks narrowly edged ASU in second-chance points, 8-7, and scored 24 bench points to the Sun Devils' 18.

The Sun Devils got off to a clean start, compiling an opening quarter free of turnovers. A 9-0 run allowed ASU to lead 19-6 with just over two minutes to play in the first, before a tip-in from Alondra Lizama stopped the bleeding.

The Lumberjacks found their offensive flow in the second period, connecting on three triples in the quarter while forcing a stretch of four straight Sun Devil turnovers. An 8-2 NAU run with 4:14 to play before the half made it a 34-29 game, capped by an offensive rebound and putback from Davis to force a timeout. However, ASU responded and scored four of the final five points before halftime to lead 38-30 at the break.

Similar to late in the first quarter, Arizona State inflicted another 9-0 run on the 'Jacks in the third to race out to a 49-32 lead at the 6:49 mark of the period. The Sun Devils capitalized on NAU's miscues, scoring 11 points off six turnovers in the quarter and stretched the advantage to 62-40 heading to the fourth frame.

The 'Jacks persisted into the final quarter and managed 33% shooting while committing zero turnovers and holding ASU to just five field goals to close the contest on an upward note.

NAU will return to Flagstaff next and play its home opener on Tuesday, Nov. 10 against UC Irvine. Tipoff with the Anteaters is set for 6 p.m. MST and will be streamed on ESPN+.