Arizona State Tyi Skinner receives Big 12 Co-Player of the Week award

In Arizona State’s loss to the No. 10 TCU Horned Frogs at home on Wednesday, Skinner delivered a remarkable performance, scoring a game-high 25 points and hitting a three-pointer at the end of the second quarter before halftime.

“It’s good (hitting a buzzer-beating three-pointer),” Skinner said Wednesday. “(It) just gives me some momentum going into halftime. We want to get the last shot anyway, but anytime we hit a shot, it drains the other team, and it gives us momentum going into the second half.”

Last week, the Sun Devils ended a 12-game losing streak with an overtime victory against the BYU Cougars, winning 85-73 on Saturday. Skinner contributed to the victory with 22 points, three rebounds, six assists, and four steals. It’s her third consecutive game in which she has scored 20 or more points.

The Arizona State women’s basketball team has faced a challenging season due to injuries and numerous lineup changes. Currently the Sun Devils sit in 15th place in the Big 12 Conference at 3-13 in conference play and an overall record of 9-19.

“I’ll take our fight right now. If that’s what we show against the No. 10 team in the country, we need to carry that over [for] the remainder of the season,” Arizona State head coach Natasha Adair said Wednesday, according to the ASU athletics. “That’s what we talked about, not moral victories, the things we needed to do to win the game. But there’s a lot of good momentum.

“People say, Well, how’s your team? Is your team doing this? The team’s fighting. This team still has a lot of basketball to play, and that’s how we look at it. But every [game in the Big 12] you’re playing a top 20, top 30 team where every possession matters.”

The Sun Devils will travel to Colorado to take on the Buffaloes on Wednesday night and will conclude the regular season at home against Arizona on Saturday. After that, Arizona State will head to Kansas City for the Big 12 Women’s Basketball Tournament.

Reporter Aya Abdeen covers the Phoenix Mercury, Arizona State Athletics and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow her on her X account, @ayabdeen, and on Bluesky, @ayabdeen.bsky.social.