ASU Basketball Wins Molly Miller's Program Debut

TEMPE -- The Arizona State Sun Devils women's basketball program (1-0) opened the 2025-26 campaign with a 67-53 victory over Coppin State at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe on Monday night.

This victory marked the first of the Molly Miller era - and is now the 298th victory in her head coaching career.

Arizona State on SI recaps the game below.

The Sun Devils started out strong on the defensive end of the ball - displaying a commitment to coach Miller's emphasis on grit when it comes to that side of the court. The offense gained a bit of rhythm later in the frame and took a 16-12 advantage into quarter two of the game.

The second half featured more offensive struggles, as the team only went 1-14 from three-point range in the first 20 minutes of the game. They took a 29-25 lead into halftime after G Last-Tear Poa made a last-second layup.

The third quarter was less-than-ideal for Arizona State, as Coppin State outscored them 18-11. The offense once again struggled to generate clean looks from behind the arc. Coppin State took a 43-40 advantage into the final 10 minutes of action.

The Arizona State offense came alive in the last 10 minutes of the contest, as they scored 27 points in the frame - including an incredible effort from G Gabby Elliott.

The team is now 1-0 as they inch towards their second season of Big 12 play in what has started out as a promising season.

Key Performances

Heloisa Carrera - 13 PTS, 5 REB, 1 BLK, 6-11 FG

McKinna Brackens - 14 PTS, 8 REB, 2 STL, 6-13 FG

Marley Washenitz - 17 PTS, 2 REB, 4 STL, 5-5 FT

Last-Tear Poa - 5 PTS, 4 REB, 10 AST

Gabby Elliott - 16 PTS, 4 REB, 7 STL, 6-14 FG

What To Like From Performance

• The defense was extremely disruptive. They committed more fouls (23) and allowed Coppin State to knock down 7 of 14 attempts from behind the arc, but they also generated 33 turnovers and were very active on a possession-by-possession basis.

The offense continued to gel better as the game went on. Elliott was a standout scorer, Brackens contributed a bit of everything on the offensive side, and Poa dished out 10 assists as the point guard.

What's Next

The Sun Devils face Eastern Washington at home on Saturday afternoon at 2 P.M. MST. They do not return home again after this upcoming game until November 22, when UNLV travels to Tempe.

Read more on why the Arizona State men's basketball team will exceed expectations in the 2025-26 season here, and three major takeaways following a gutsy win over Iowa State here