Arizona State University

LUBBOCK (AP) - Dominic Seals scored 16 of her career-high 20 points in the second half to help Texas Tech beat No. 18 Arizona State 73-69 on Thursday night.

The victory was Texas Tech's first over a ranked opponent since the Lady Raiders (10-1) beat Nebraska in February.

Jill Noe scored a season-high 20 points to lead Arizona State (5-4).

The game was close throughout the second half, when neither team lead by more than four and the lead changed eight times.

A 10-2 run by Tech gave the Lady Raiders a 63-59 lead with 5 minutes to play, as the Sun Devils went almost four minutes without a field goal.

But Tech never pulled away, and with 7 seconds left Reagan Pariseau's 3-pointer pulled the Sun Devils to within 70-69.

Maria Moore then missed a pair of free throws, but Arizona State's chance for a comeback ended when Moore drew a charging foul from Noe on the Sun Devils ensuing fast break. Moore tied a season-high with 14 points.

The game was tied at 32 at halftime. A 19-7 run by the Lady Raiders in the first half gave Tech a seven-point lead, its largest of the game, with less than two minutes to play before the break. But the Sun Devils ran off seven in a row to close the half, including a 3-pointer from Noe, to tie the game.

Arizona State's starting point guard Dymond Simon left the game with 13:54 to play in the second half when she injured her left knee. She did not return.

TEMPE, Ariz. - The Arizona State University wrestling team (5-0, 2-0 Pac-10) will make a return trip to Nevada as the Sun Devils close out the 2007 calendar year by competing in the Reno Tournament of Champions on Tuesday, December 18. The tournament will be held inside the Reno Downtown Convention Center in Reno, Nev., and will be the final tournament the Sun Devils compete in until the 2007 Pac-10 Championships, March 2-3, in Eugene, Ore.

RENO HISTORY
The Sun Devils will compete in the Reno Tournament of Champions for the ninth year in a row and will look to rebound from their first non-Top-3 placement after finishing 14th last year. Dating back to their first appearance in 1999, the Sun Devils have placed third three times (1999, 2001, 2002) and second four times (2000, 2003, 2004, 2005).

ONE YEAR AGO - RENO TOURNAMENT
One year ago, the Sun Devils scored 34.5 points with two wrestlers placing as the team finished 14th overall. Greg Gifford led the way with his fourth-place showing at 184 pounds while Jason Trulson finished sixth at 197 pounds.

END THE DROUGHT?
In the past three Reno events, the Sun Devils have not captured an individual crown after winning 10 in their first five years in the tournament. The last time an Arizona State wrestler won a Reno crown came in 2003 when both Ryan Bader (197) and Cain Velasquez (285) were victorious. The closest the Sun Devils have come to winning a title since then came in 2004 when Brian Stith (157), C.B. Dollaway (184) and Velasquez each placed second.

RENO RANKINGS
Twenty-six teams are scheduled to compete in the Reno Tournament of Champions, including eight members of the Pac-10 Conference, with 12 teams holding a national ranking. No. 5 Oklahoma State, No. 6 Central Michigan, No. 17 Cornell and No. 21 Navy lead the way with national team rankings and are joined by several teams ranked in the lower divisions, including: Division II team Adams State (No. 4), NAIA schools Great Falls (No. 3), Oklahoma City (No. 5) and Southern Oregon (No. and NJCAA teams Western Wyoming (No. 9), Southwestern Oregon (No. 13), Clackamas (No. 14) and Yakima Valley (No. 15).

HEAVY WEIGHTS
Heavyweight and 174 appear to be the tougher weight classes in Reno as 11 and 10, respectively, wrestlers hold national rankings with both weight classes, along with 133, having five ranked wrestlers according to the December 11 InterMat/NWCA/NWMA rankings.

IN THE RANKINGS
Despite its 5-0 start, the Sun Devils are not receiving votes in the national rankings this week, according to the USA Today/NWCA/InterMat Top 25 rankings (December 11). Individually in the InterMat/NWCA/NWMA rankings, four Sun Devils are listed among the Top 20 in their respective weight classes, including No. 4 Patrick Pitsch (165), No. 18 Jason Trulson (197), No. 19 Brent Chriswell (184) and No. 19 Anthony Robles (125).

PAC-10 RANKINGS
The third round of Pac-10 Individual Rankings were released December 11 with five Sun Devils ranked among the Top 6 in their respective weight classes. Leading the way are a pair of top-ranked Sun Devils in Patrick Pitsch (165) and Jason Trulson (197) with Anthony RoblesBrent Chriswell (184) is ranked fifth; and Todd Schavrien (133) is ranked sixth. (125) ranked third;

MILESTONE WIN
Patrick Pitsch went 5-1 at the Cliff Keen/Las Vegas Invitational at the start of the month to increase his season record to 6-1 overall. For his career, Pitsch now stands 74-38 and is one victory shy of capturing his 75th collegiate victory. Two other Sun Devils are close to milestone wins with Rick Renzi needing five more for 25 and Jason Trulson is 10 away from 50 victories.

SCORING BIG
The Sun Devils have combined to win 78 bouts this year with 44 percent of those victories producing bonus points. Of the 34 bonus point victories, Arizona State has won 15 by fall, 10 by major decision, four by technical fall and added five forfeit victories.

PRODUCING POINTS
When it comes to scoring bonus points, three Sun Devils have been very successful so far this season with all three winning more than half of their bouts with bonus points. Jason Trulson (197) leads the way as he has won seven of his 10 bouts by major (3), fall (3) and forfeit (1), earning the team bonus points 70 percent of the time. At the lightest weights, Todd Schavrien (133) and Anthony Robles (125) have found success with big wins, too. Schavrien has scored bonus points 57 percent of the time (two majors, one tech and one forfeit) while Robles has earned bonus points 56 percent of the time (three techs, one fall and one forfeit).

QUICK STICK
Of those 15 wins by pin-fall, only six have come outside of the first period this year. Brent Chriswell (184) has recorded the fastest fall of the year as he pinned UC Davis' Jon Clark in just 33 seconds of his first match with the Sun Devils. At the Keystone Classic, Arizona State recorded four wins by fall, including three in the first two minutes of a bout. Last weekend, all three of ASU's falls came outside the first, including two in the second and one in the third.

A PLACE IN VEGAS
Only one Sun Devil earned placement in the Las Vegas Invitational last time out as Patrick Pitsch, the tournament's second-seed at 165, placed fourth overall with a 5-1 record. Pitsch advanced to the quarterfinals with a pair of wins before falling to Jarrod King of Edinboro. In the consolation rounds, Pitsch opened by defeating No. 15 Zach Shanaman (Penn) and later taking down No. 9 Stephen Dwyer (Nebraska) in the consolation semifinals to advance to the third-place bout. An injury forced Pitsch to default the bout and take fourth.

RECAP: LAS VEGAS INVITE
The Sun Devils scored 26.5 points and placed 24th in the 48-team field at the Cliff Keen/Las Vegas Invitational November 30-December 1 in Las Vegas. Patrick Pitsch (165) was the lone Sun Devil to place in the tournament (fourth) with Jason Trulson (197) won win from placing in the tournament. Overall, 7-of-10 Sun Devils won at least one bout in the tournament with four winning two or more.

PERFECT SO FAR
The Sun Devils are now 5-0 overall in duals this season, marking just the ninth time in the programs 46 years that the team has opened the season with a 5-0 record. The 5-0 opening is the best for Arizona State under Thom Ortiz, surpassing the 4-1 mark the team had in 2001-02, his first season with the program. The last time ASU opened a year with a 5-0 or better record came during the 1992-93 season when it opened with six wins in a row before suffering its first loss of the season. The Sun Devils' next duals will take place January 6 inside Wells Fargo Arena in the Sun Devil Duals. ASU will face Army, Grand Canyon and Penn.

WELCOME BACK!
At the Sun Devil Duals on January 6, the program will welcome back its alumni for Alumni Weekend and honor those alumni in attendance during the Duals. One other group will be singled out as well as the 1988 NCAA Championship team will be recognized on the mats. Former head coach Bobby Douglas and all the members of the championship team will be on hand. Since 1928, the NCAA has conducted a wrestling championship with 11 different schools claiming the crown. In 1988, Arizona State won the title and still is the only Western team to have done so in the history of the event. Based on geographical location, when removing ASU from the list, the most western team to win a title would be Oklahoma, who has won seven. The schools that have won crowns include Oklahoma State (33), Iowa (20), Iowa State (8), Oklahoma (7), Minnesota (3) and the following schools with one each: Arizona State, Cornell College (of Iowa), Indiana, Michigan State, Northern Iowa and Penn State.

HOME DEBUTS
Six Sun Devils competed in the first home bouts of their careers with five winning their matches against Embry-Riddle (November 25). Redshirt freshmen Anthony Robles (125), Todd Schavrien (133), Chris Drouin (141), Jerrad Trulson (149) and Imanibom Etukeren (285) each won their debuts while Jalonn Wilkins (157) dropped a close decision. Wilkins is scheduled to compete in Reno this weekend at 149 pounds and could score his first collegiate win.

ROOKIES ROLLING
The early season success of the Sun Devils has been in large part due to the individual success the team's freshmen have enjoyed. So far in 2007, 13 different rookies have competed in at least one bout for the Sun Devils with the collective group posting a 43-31 record. Of those 43 victories, 19 have produced bonus points for the team, including five major decisions, four technical falls, seven falls and three wins by forfeit.

BROTHERS WIN
In the dual with Embry-Riddle, Jason Trulson opened the dual with a pin of Justin Masotti in 3:32 of the 197 bout before younger brother Jerrad Trulson won a 6-4 decision at 149 pounds over Trace Billet. The victories by the brothers marked the first time since the 2002-03 season that a pair of brothers competed in the same dual with each winning a bout. The last time it happened was on January 5, 2003, when Chris Smith pinned his opponent from ERAU at 5:29 of the 141 bout and was followed by brother Mike Smith winning a 7-1 decision at 157. One month earlier, on December 5, 2002, brothers Evan Larkin and Eric Larkin each won forfeits against Portland State at 141 and 149, respectively.

IN THE COMMUNITY
Over the past several weeks, the Sun Devil wrestling team has been getting out in the community more and working with local children. On November 22, the day before Thanksgiving, the Sun Devils visited the Crossroad Youth Intervention Center in Phoenix where they interacted with the children while handing out dinner and dessert. On November 27, the wrestlers headed over to the UMOM New Day Center in Phoenix where they read to numerous children from the community.

HAPPY TO UPSET
Despite taking second place in their respective weight classes, a pair of Sun Devils each recorded upset victories in the semifinal round at the Keystone Classic (November 18). Anthony Robles picked up the biggest win of the tournament as the unranked freshman scored an 18-14 decision over No. 8 Javier Maldanado of UT Chattanooga at 125 pounds. The second upset of the tournament came at 184 pounds where No. 19 Brent Chriswell upset Rider's No. 13 Doug Umbehauer, 4-2.

PITSCH FALLS AT ALL-STAR CLASSIC
Senior Patrick Pitsch, ranked No. 3 in the NWCA/InterMat individual rankings at 165 pounds, dropped a 4-0 decision to No. 2 Eric Tannenbaum of Michigan Monday evening at the NWCA All-Star Classic presented by the United States Marine Corps in Eugene, Ore. Tannenbaum scored on an escape and takedown in the second period and then a riding point in the third for the victory in the exhibition event held on the Oregon campus.

ALL-STAR HISTORY
With his loss, Arizona State is now 10-13-1 all-time in the All-Star Classic. Pitsch was the 27th different Sun Devil to compete in the event.

THE INSIDE TRIP
Senior Patrick Pitsch will blog each week throughout the season, offering fans a behind the scenes look at Sun Devil wrestling. To access The Inside Trip, visit the wrestling page on thesundevils.com.

FIRST WINS
A week after eight Sun Devils competed for the first time in the college ranks, four more added their names to the list with two, Orlando Jimenez (141) and Imanibom Etukeren (285), each winning at least once. While Etukeren went 1-2 and did not place at the Keystone Classic, Jimenez turned in a strong performance with a 4-2 record and fifth-place finish. After falling in his first bout, Jimenez won three in a rod, including a pin in 1:40 over the sixth-seeded wrestler in the event, Mark Savino of Brown. After falling to the eventual third-place finisher and second-seeded Kyle Borshoff of American, Jimenez capped his tournament run with a 13-2 major decision victory over Fred Rogers of Rider. So far this year, 11 newcomers have competed for ASU and carry a combined 29-18 record with 13 bonus points victories (four majors, three tech falls and six falls).

SWEEP FOR CAMPBELL
Kelsey Campbell was invited to compete in the West-Midwest Duals at Menlo College on December 2 and walked away with a clean sweep, winning all four of her bouts. Campbell opened the day with a pin of Tina Linhasmout (West Valley CC) in 51 seconds before defeating Raissa Dickinson (Simon Frasier), 3-0, 2-1. Campbell then blanked Marina Piccolotti (Oklahoma City Univ.), the No. 2-ranked women at 63kg, in a 3-0, 5-0 decision. Campbell's final bout of the day saw her defeat Deni Torgeson (Simon Frasier), 0-1, 2-0, 1-0.

CAMPBELL ON THE ROSTER
This year, the Sun Devils have a first on their roster as Kelsey Campbell is the first woman to join the Arizona State program. A transfer from Pacific (Ore.), Campbell comes to Tempe after competing for the Boxers during the 2005-06 season and then representing the ASU Women's Club Team last year. During the 2006-07 season, Campbell competed in her first National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championships and won the 63kg (138.5) national title as an unseeded competitor. In the event, she knocked off the No. 4, No. 1 and then No. 2 seeds on her way to her first tournament title.

TOP OF HER CLASS
Kelsey Campbell is currently ranked on a pair of national women's lists, including No. 2 at 59kg in the Collegiate Women's Wrestling Association rankings. She also is ranked No. 5 in TheMat.com's U.S. Senior Women's Rankings (May 2007).

AHOY, CAPTAIN!
Seniors Patrick Pitsch, Rick Renzi and Jason Trulson and junior Quinton Pruett have been selected as the team's captains for the year.

ON THE SCHEDULE
The 2007-08 season will see the Sun Devils compete in 17 duals, including nine home duals, and five tournaments. In the regular season, Arizona State will send competitors to the Keystone Classic (Philadelphia), Cliff Keen/Las Vegas Invitational and Reno Tournament of Champions, all of which come before the end of the December. Following 12 duals after the turn of the New Year, the Sun Devils will head to Eugene, Ore., for the 2007 Pac-10 Championships (March 2-3) and conclude the season at the 2007 NCAA Wrestling Championships (March 20-22).

FACING SOME OF THE BEST
Of those 17 duals on the Sun Devils' schedule this season, five teams are ranked among the national Top 25 according the November 12 USA Today/NWCA/InterMat poll. On the list are No. 2 Iowa State, No. 4 Iowa, No. 21 Oklahoma, No. 23 Penn and No. 24 Oregon State.

HOME OF THE SUN DEVILS
Wells Fargo Arena serves as the home of Arizona State's home wrestling duals, as well as basketball (men and women), women's gymnastics and women's volleyball. Opened in the spring of 1974, the 14,198-seat arena has been the home venue of some of the Sun Devil greats with all 16 Pac-10 team titles and one of the two Western Athletic Conference crowns attained by ASU. Since its opening, 57 Sun Devils have captured 109 individual conference titles while 67 different athletes have earned a total of 98 All-America honors. The Sun Devils stand 164-54-2 all-time inside Wells Fargo Arena (202-88-2 all-time at home). With its 36-3 defeat of Utah Valley on Jan. 10, 2005, ASU recorded its 150th victory at WFA.

NEXT TIME OUT
After the start of the new calender year, Arizona State will return to dual competition by playing host to the Sun Devil Duals on January 6, 2008, inside Wells Fargo Arena. ASU will face Army at noon, Grand Canyon at 1:30 p.m. and Penn at 3 p.m.

UP NEXT

For the first time in more than a month the No. 18/19 Arizona State women's basketball team will play an official `road' game when it travels to Lubbock, Texas, to take on the Texas Tech Lady Raiders on Thursday. Game time is set for 7 p.m. CT from United Spirit Arena.

The Sun Devils are coming off an impressive 77-56 win over UC Davis on Sunday in which they shot 55.6 from the field and had four players score in double figures led by junior center Kirsten Thompson who made all seven of her field goal attempts and scored a game-high 16 points. For her performance Thompson was named the Pac-10's Player of the Week for the first time in her Sun Devil career.

In addition to seeking their second consecutive win and their third in their last four outings, the Sun Devils will also be seeking their first road win of the season. Since their season opening game on Nov. 11 when they fell to current No. 3 North Carolina in Chapel Hill, the Sun Devils have five games at home and a pair on neutral ground in Cancun, Mexico. The Sun Devils have won 14 of their last 16 road games going back to the second half of the 2005-06 season, including a single-season school record 10 road games last season.

Thursday's game will be a rematch of last season's Hoops for Health Classic (Dec. 18, 2006) in which the Sun Devils defeated the Lady Raiders 61-45 in the second ever outdoor NCAA women's basketball game. The contest, which was played at the home of Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks, Chase Field in downtown Phoenix, was called to a halt with 4:18 remaining because of rain.

Texas Tech enters Thursday night's game with a record of 9-1. The Lady Raiders won their first nine games of the season before falling by three points to Houston (66-63) in their most recent outing. Texas Tech is currently No. 8 in the country in scoring offense, averaging 79.5 points per game.

RADIO

Arizona State's game vs. Texas Tech can be heard live on KXAM 1310 AM and on the sundevilsportsnetwork.com (subscription-based service). Pre-game coverage will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Valley. Veteran broadcaster Jeff Munn is in his fourth year as the voice of ASU women's basketball.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

• Since 2005 the Sun Devils are 16-2 in December games. Their only losses in December games during that span came at Stanford last season and earlier this month when Auburn, currently No. 14 in the country, defeated the Sun Devils 75-69 in the finals of the Verizon Wireless ASU Classic.

• Texas Tech is the second of three Big 12 schools which ASU will be playing during the regular season. Last month ASU was beaten by current No. 9 Oklahoma at the Caribbean Challenge in Cancun, Mexico. Next Thursday ASU will host No. 20 Texas at Wells Fargo Arena.

• Thursday's game at Texas Tech will be ASU's only road game in the month of December. The Sun Devils will play their next four games at Wells Fargo Arena before traveling to the state of Oregon for their first Pac-10 road trip of the season to take on Oregon (Jan. 3) and Oregon State (Jan. 5).

• Currently tied with former Sun Devil Stephanie Freeman (1995-98) for 17th place on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,017 points, senior Jill Noe needs four points to move past Amanda Levens (1999-2002) for 16th place, eight points to move past Kylan Loney (2001-05) for 15th place and 17 points to move past Kim Griffee (1979-81) for 14th place. Noe is averaging 14 points, 4.3 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals in her last three outings. During that span, Noe is shooting 58.6 percent from the field, including 7-15 (.467) from three-point range.

• Junior Lauren Lacey is averaging 14.3 points and 7.7 rebounds in ASU's last three games. During that span Lacey has set new career highs in both scoring (20 points vs. Auburn on Dec. 2) and rebounds (10 rebounds vs. UC Davis on Dec. 9).

• The Sun Devils are averaging 22.0 assists in each of their last three games, including a season-best 26 assists vs. Gonzaga on Nov. 30. Junior Briann January (5.0 apg) and Noe (4.3 apg) have combined to average more than nine assists per game during that span.

SERIES HISTORY VS. TEXAS TECH

The Sun Devils lead the all-time series 3-2. Last season's 61-45 win at Chase Field was the first time the two schools played since 1987. Junior Danielle Orsillo, who is currently sidelined because of injury, led the Sun Devils with 16 points last year's win. Texas Tech was victorious (69-57) the lone time it faced the Sun Devils in Lubbock in 1987.

THOMPSON NAMED PAC-10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Arizona State junior center Kirsten Thompson was named the Pac-10 Women's Basketball Player of the Week according to an announcement by Pac-10 Commissioner Tom Hansen on Monday.

In ASU's 77-56 win over UC Davis on Sunday Thompson was perfect from the floor, connecting on all seven of her shot attempts and both free throws to lead the Sun Devils with a season-high 16 points, which fell three short of her career best. Thompson, who also added five rebounds and three assists while playing a season-high 19 minutes, scored 10 of her 16 points in the first half in helping the Sun Devils build a 34-17 halftime lead.

Thompson currently leads the Sun Devils and is third in the Pac-10 in field goal percentage (.600).

EARLY SEASON NOTES

• The 38 points Yale scored on Nov. 19 represented the 10th time since the start of last season that ASU has held an opponent under 50 points.

• In ASU's 66-42 win over UC Santa Barbara (Nov. 17), senior Jill Noe tallied 12 points, seven rebounds and eight assists and narrowly missed becoming the first Sun Devil to record a triple-double since Ryneldi Becenti in 1992. For Noe, it is the third such time she has flirted with the feat. Last season she recorded 17 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds in a win over Northern Arizona and during her freshman season she posted 17 points, nine assists and nine rebounds in a win over Denver.

• Through ASU's first eight games junior Briann Janaury is first on the team in scoring (11.1 ppg) assists per game (4.5 apg), steals per game (2.4 spg), made free throws (35) and attempts (40) and free throw percent (.875). Junior Lauren Lacey is first on the team in rebounding (6.6 rpg) and second in scoring (10.8 ppg).

IT'S BETTER TO GIVE THAN RECEIVE

The Sun Devils had 21 assists in their 77-56 win over UC Davis on Dec. 9. It was the 14th time going back to the start of last season that ASU has recorded 20 or more assists in a single game. Earlier this season ASU tallied a season-best 26 assists in its win over Gonzaga (Nov. 30). Currently ranked No. 8 in the nation in assists per game, the Sun Devils have averaged 22 assists in their last three outings. ASU has finished in the nation's top five in assists each of the last two seasons, finishing second last season (18.1 apg) and fourth in 2005-06 (18.4 apg).

JANUARY NAMED TO PRESEASON ALL-PAC-10 TEAM

Arizona State junior guard Briann January was one of five players named to the preseason All-Pac-10 team. The team was chosen by members of the conference's women's basketball media. January is coming off a season in which she earned All-Pac-10 honorable mention honors in helping lead ASU to a school record 31 wins and its first Elite Eight appearance in school history. In 2006-07, the 5-8, Spokane, Wash., product finished third in the Pac-10 in steals (2.1 per game), fourth in assists (4.0 per game) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.67), and sixth in free throw percentage (81.7). A starter in 34 games, January concluded her sophomore campaign first on the team in both assists and steals and second in both scoring (10.2 points per game) and free throw percentage.

Thus far in 2007-08, January has wasted no time in picking up where she left off last season. She is currently first on the team in scoring (11.1 ppg) and first in assists per game (4.5 apg), steals per game (2.4 spg), made free throws (35) and free throw percent (.875).

SUN DEVILS WORK THROUGH EARLY SEASON INJURIES

When senior guard Reagan Pariseau suffered an ankle injury in the first half of ASU's eventual win over Gonzaga on Nov. 30, it represented the latest in a series of bumps and bruises the Sun Devils have encountered to start the season. ASU players have already missed a total of 11 games because of injury this season.

Dymond Simon, a member of the Pac-10's All-Freshman Team last season, was limited early in the season as she returned from a torn ACL she suffered in January. Three times this season Simon has scored in double figures, including a season-best 17 points in ASU's win over Yale on Nov. 19.

Junior post Sybil Dosty injured her knee earlier this fall and was forced to miss all of ASU's preseason practices. She averaged only 12 minutes in the first four games as she was slowly worked into the rotation. Since then, Dosty has averaged 20 minutes a game and has averaged 9.5 points and 6.0 rebounds while shooting 67 percent from the field.

Junior guard Kate Engelbrecht suffered a hand injury during the first preseason practice and was forced to miss the rest of ASU's preseason workouts and its first two games. She scored a season-high six points in ASU's most recent win over UC Davis on Sunday.

Less than one week after scoring a career-best 21 points at North Carolina, junior guard Danielle Orsillo was diagnosed with a bone bruise on her knee. On Nov. 19, head coach Charli Turner Thorne announced that Orsillo would be out for at least one month before her is situation reevaluated.

Pariseau has missed ASU's last two games against Auburn (Dec. 2) and UC Davis (Dec. 9) since injuring her ankle on Nov. 30.

HELP IS ON THE WAY

Without question, one of the biggest challenges facing ASU coming into the 2007-08 season is figuring out how it will compensate for the loss of All-Pac-10 performers Aubree Johnson and Emily Westerberg. In addition to being responsible for a combined 23.0 points and 10.8 rebounds per game in 2006-07 the duo also gave ASU a strong inside presence on both ends of the floor.

Enter junior transfers Sybil Dosty and Lauren Lacey. Biding their time since they last played a meaningful game in the spring of 2006, Dosty and Lacey are two players who are very eager to get on the floor and help the Sun Devils ascend to the top. Both players got to take a bit of a test drive with their teammates in real competition during ASU's trip to Italy last May in which the Sun Devils squared off against four different teams from around the country. Originally a native of Tucson, Dosty spent her first two collegiate seasons at the University of Tennessee where she was part of a Final Four team her freshman year. Lacey, who transferred from the University of Minnesota, was also part of two squads that went to the NCAA Tournament.

Through ASU's first eight games, Lacey is second on ASU in scoring (10.8 ppg) and first in rebounding (6.6 rpg). She led ASU with a career-best 19 points in its win over Iowa on Nov. 23 and would surpass that total with 20 against Auburn (Dec. 2). She would add a career-best 10 rebounds vs. UC Davis on Dec. 9. The leader in field goal percentage during her two seasons at Tennessee, Dosty has connected on 56.4 percent of her shots (22-39). She tied her career-best with 12 points in ASU's 60-58 win over Iowa on Nov. 30 and then would surpass that mark with 16 points in ASU's 78-60 win over Gonzaga on Nov. 30.

SUN DEVILS WELCOME THE RETURN OF SIMON

In addition to gaining the services of Dosty and Lacey, the Sun Devils will also be benefiting from the return of sophomore Dymond Simon, who was named to the Pac-10's All-Freshman Team last season despite missing the second half of the Pac-10 season with a torn ACL.

"Dymond is a very special player who is critical in terms of our desires to take the next step as a program," says ASU head coach Charli Turner Thorne. "I think one of the strongest testaments to her ability as a player is the fact that the conference coaches still voted her onto the All-Freshman Team despite her missing the entire second half of the Pac-10 season."

Prior to getting injured last season, Simon showed flashes of the brilliance that she used to helped lead her high school team to a pair of state championships. At the time of her injury, Simon was third on the team in scoring (9.7 points per game) and second on the team in steals (1.6 per game). Two weeks before getting injured, Simon was named the Pac-10 Player of the Week after averaging 20 points, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals in ASU's wins vs. Washington State and Washington.

According to Turner Thorne, Simon has found ways to improve her game even while recovering from the injury.

"We always challenge players when they are out to work on something more than maybe they otherwise would be able to. True to Dymond and her amazing commitment to be the best basketball player she can be, she worked tirelessly on her shot and that is what people are going to notice right away. Her shot is fluid and it looks great."

WHAT'S NEXT FOR CHARLI?

With its 67-49 win over Bowling Green in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2007 NCAA Tournament the Arizona State women's basketball team clinched its first ever appearance in the Elite Eight of the "The Big Dance." It was the latest `first time …' for the Sun Devils under head coach Charli Turner Thorne, who continues to build on what is the most successful period in the program's history. Since the 2004-05 season the Sun Devils are 81-23, including a 6-3 record in NCAA Tournament games the last three seasons.

In 2005-06 Turner Thorne had the Sun Devils in the Top 10 of both polls for the first time in 22 years. If the figure `22 years' sounds familiar it's because in 2004-05 Turner Thorne led the Sun Devils to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 22 years. After leading the Sun Devils to a 25-7 in 2005-06 Turner Thorne was recognized being named the Russell Athletic/Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Region 8 Coach of the Year.

Now in her 12th season in Tempe, Turner Thorne has more than established the Sun Devils as one of the teams to watch on an annual basis not only in the Pac-10 Conference, but also across the country. In fact, since the 2000-01 season the Sun Devils have won the second-highest number of overall games (163) in the Pac-10 Conference.

SPARKY'S KIDS TO COLLEGE FIELD TRIP BRINGS KIDS ONE STEP CLOSER TO COLLEGE

On December 17, 2007, the Arizona State women's basketball team will host "Sparky's Kids to College Field Trip Day." The event will bring thousands of elementary school students from around Maricopa County to Arizona State's game against Fresno State, which will have a special 11 a.m. start time. The purpose of the "Field Trip" is to expose elementary-aged children to a university campus and intercollegiate athletics.

"A lot of these kids who would not have otherwise been able to come to the game, probably never been on a college campus," ASU head coach Charli Turner Thorne said after last season's event which hosted more than 5,000 students. "So it really was a wonderful opportunity for a lot of these kids who might think more about college and maybe they think more about supporting the Sun Devils, too."

Students attending Monday's game will be provided with a curriculum workbook, which was put together by Dr. Raul Cardenas and Natalie Nailor of Access ASU. The workbook will include age-appropriate lessons, covering the range of grade levels. During timeouts and at halftime students will be informed of the importance of a college education and the abundance of career opportunities that are available to college graduates.

SUN DEVILS SIGN THREE

A pair of explosive posts from Southern California and a top guard from the Pacific Northwest, highlight the 2008 Arizona State women's basketball signing class announced by head coach Charli Turner Thorne. Kimberly Brandon, Alex Earl and Janae Fulcher signed letters of intent to study and compete at Arizona State.

A 6-2 forward, Brandon is an exceptional talent, whose versatility and explosiveness will benefit the Sun Devils right away in 2008-09. Brandon, who is ranked the No. 92 overall player in the country (No. 22 at her position) by hoopgurlz.com, will be coming to ASU from Chatsworth High School in Chatsworth, Calif., where in 2006-07 she averaged a double-double in points and rebounds in leading her team to the City Section title while earning all-league honors along the way.

A 5-10 guard, Earl has been a four-year member of the varsity squad at Southridge High School in Beaverton, Ore. The team leader in assists, steals and three-point field goals, Earl was named third-team all-state and first team all-league in 2007 following a season in which she helped lead the Skyhawks to their third consecutive 6A state title. A 2006-07 Street & Smith's Prep All-American Honorable Mention selection, Earl also earned all-league notice in 2005 and 2006, was named to the Oregon City `End of the Trail' All-Tournament Team in 2005 and 2006 (also earned MVP honors in '06), and played on Team Concept during the 2007 Nike Elite Regional Camp. In addition to her ability on the hardwood, Earl was also a four-year starter on Southridge's soccer team, earning second-team all-state honors in 2005 and first-team all-league honors in 2005 and 2007. Earl, whose father has coached basketball, was also a U.S. National Team member in 2004 and was on the Olympic Development Team for the state of Oregon for three years.

Fulcher will be coming to Tempe from Country Day High School in La Jolla, Calif., where the 6-3 post has averaged 9.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game during her first three years on the varsity squad. Named team captain for the 2007-08 season, Fulcher is ranked the No. 15 post player by Girls Basketball Report in addition to being named an honorable mention All-American by The Sporting News and a McDonald's All-American nominee. Last season Fulcher averaged 12.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game on her way to a bevy of honors, including All-CIF Div. IV First Team, UT All-San Diego Section First Team, Hall of Champions All-County First Team and Street & Smith's All-American Honorable Mention. Country Day would go on to be Coastal League champions and CIF SD Section Div. IV champions. In 2005-06, Fulcher nearly averaged a double-double every game with 9.9 points and 9.5 rebounds every time she stepped on the floor. She would go on to be named All-League First Team Coastal South, All-CIF Div. IV First Team and UT All-San Diego Section First Team in helping lead Country Day to Coastal League and CIF SD Section Div. IV titles before finishing as a Southern Regional runner-up.

TEMPE, Ariz. - Three members of the 2007 Sun Devil Volleyball Team were honored for their efforts this season as Sydney Donahue, Margie Giordano and Sarah Reaves were all given an honorable mention by the Pac-10.

Sydney Donahue, a senior libero from Manhattan Beach, Calif. wrapped her senior year in an outstanding fashion as she is now the current holder of not only the Pac-10 single season record in digs (742), but also the career digs leader in the Pac-10 with 2,385. She led the Pac-10 the entire season in digs this year with a 6.27 average per game, good for sixth nationally as well. She leaves ASU with every possible record should could hold in her position in ASU and Pac-10 history. The honorable mention is her third in her career.

Margie Giordano, a junior outside hitter from Glendale, Ariz. finished the season with a 3.51 kills per game average on the year as well as a 2.64 average for digs per game to help lead the Sun Devil offense. The award is her second Pac-10 honor.

Sarah Reaves, a freshman outside hitter from Glendale, Ariz. had a huge rookie campaign in 2007 as she led the Sun Devil offense with a 4.14 kills per game average and 2.48 digs per game average. Her 28 kills against #21 Oregon on September 27 not only bested an ASU freshman record of kills in a match, but an all-time ASU record, bettering Juliana Escobar's 27 against Oregon on October 18, 2002. Her stats on the season helped her lead all other Pac-10 freshman in kills per game and place her in NCAA standings. In addition to the honorable mention, Sarah was also named to the 2007 Pac-10 All-Freshman Team.

SUN DEVIL DATA
The Arizona State's men's hoops team, under second-year coach Herb Sendek, plays host to No. 17 Xavier (7-1) on Saturday, Dec. 15, at 2 p.m. MT on FSN and KTAR 620 AM in Phoenix. ASU has been starting three freshmen as its roster has an interesting mix. It includes two McDonald's All-Americans making their Sun Devil debuts this year, one senior, five freshmen, three sophomores who played 87.3 minutes per game (with Pac-10 leading 69 freshmen starts) and one of college hoops rising players in 6-9 junior Jeff Pendergraph. A preseason Wooden Award Top-50 candidate, Pendergraph led the team in scoring (12.1) and rebounding (9.1) last year, as his rebounding average matched the second-best mark by a Sun Devil in the past 26 seasons. With seven of the Sun Devil games being margins of at least 15 points, he is averaging just 24.3 minutes per game but already has 11 blocks and is shooting .615 from the field and .786 from the free throw line. His best outing this year was a 25-point, 10-board scene stealer against LSU's long front line in the third game of Maui Invitational.

QUICK NOTES
Coach Sendek has 30 wins against ranked teams in his career, including 14 wins over top-10 teams and eight over top-five teams. He notched his first at ASU last year in the final chance of the year when ASU topped No. 22 USC 68-58 on Feb. 18, 2007…Xavier is coached by former Herb Sendek assistant Sean Miller, who was on Coach Sendek's staff at Miami (Ohio) and NC State…a good history note is Xavier and ASU will play on Ned Wulk Court, as Coach Wulk led ASU to a 406-272 (.599) mark in his 25 years (1958-82) and prior to those years he was Xavier's head coach, as he notched a 89-70 (.560) record as the main Musketeer from 1951-57, and ranks sixth in wins at XU.

FRESHMEN
ASU freshmen accounted for 69 of 150 starts in Herb Sendek's rookie 30-game season. Through eight games, the numbers have jumped to 93 out of 190 starts in his 38-game tenure with three freshmen starting each game. That means in his two years, ASU's starting lineup has had freshmen make 48.9 percent of the starts. Sophomores have made 40 starts (.211), juniors 25 (.132) and seniors 32 (.168). While ASU's freshmen have made 93 starts in the past two seasons, Xavier has not had a freshman start one game.

WOW
ASU has hosted the likes of Final Four-bound Kansas in 1990-91, Final-Four bound Oklahoma State in 1994-95, Texas, Georgia, Kerry Kittles-led Villanova, Kenny Thomas-led New Mexico, BYU, 2006 defending Big Ten Tournament champ Iowa and Louisville since 1990, but No. 17 Xavier is the highest ranked non-conference foe to visit ASU since No. 14 ASU beat No. 7 Ohio State 71-58 on Dec. 20, 1980. Xavier also is the first non-conference ranked foe to visit Tempe since No. 18 UTEP topped ASU 60-55 on Dec. 18, 1983.

THE TREE
Herb Sendek has six former assistants who are currently D-I head coaches: Jim Christian, Kent State, Miami Assistant (1994-96); Charlie Coles, Miami (Ohio), Miami Assistant (1994-96); Larry Hunter, Western Carolina, NC State Assistant (2001-05); Ron Hunter, IUPUI, Miami Assistant (1993-94); Thad Matta, Ohio State, Miami Assistant (1994-95) and Sean Miller, Xavier, Miami (1994-96) and NC State Assistant (1996-2000). Coles, Miller and Matta all led their teams to the 2007 NCAA Tournament.

EXPECT THIS TO BE A STAPLE AT ASU
ASU is shooting .773 from the free throw line (102-of-132), which leads the Pac-10 and is 11th in the nation as James Harden already is 35-of-41 (.854). Each of the six Sun Devils averaging more than 18 minutes are shooting at least 75 percent. In his 10 seasons at NC State, Coach Sendek's teams led the ACC four times in FT percentage (including three straight seasons, 2002-04). In 2004 NC State led the nation and set the ACC record by shooting .799 from the charity stripe. While at NC State, his squads shot 71.3 percent, as his poorest FT shooting team was his first year (1996-97/.649).

XU VS. SUN DEVILS
Xavier and ASU have met twice, with the Sun Devils winning 71-67 in Tempe on Dec. 8, 1984, and the Musketeers winning last year's game 76-58 on Dec. 16, 2006, in Cincinnati. In last year's game, Xavier's 76 points was the most the Sun Devils gave up all year as the Musketeers went 15-of-16 (.938) from the free throw line in the second half to clinch the win. ASU did not score a field goal in the final 6:43, as a 61-56 XU lead at the 6:06 mark grew to the game's largest margin at the final buzzer. ASU matched a season-high with 11 steals but was just 8-of-14 (.571) from the foul line in the second half.

QUICKIES
Freshmen James Harden, Ty Abbott and Jamelle McMillan started against Illinois on Nov. 19, the first time in school history that three freshmen started the opener…eight players are averaging at least 17 minutes per game, as freshmen and sophomores make up more than 160 minutes per game…Ty Abbott already has nailed 18 three-pointers on the year…after averaging 58.5 points per game last year, ASU scored 54 in the first half against Florida Gulf Coast on Nov. 28. The 54 first-half points (most since 58-30 lead against USC on Feb. 13, 2003) was more than it scored in 10 games last year…ASU outrebounded Cal Poly by 29 on Nov. 26 (52-23), its best rebounding margin since a 49-19 output vs. American-Puerto Rico on Nov. 26, 1997…ASU also held Cal Poly to 14-of-55 (.255) from the floor, its best defensive effort since Dec. 2, 2000, when it held eventual NCAA Tournament bound BYU to 15-of-59 (.254), then held Delaware State to .208 shooting (.11-of-53)…Jeff Pendergraph is shooting .615 from the field…Christian Polk is shooting 80.4 percent from the foul line in his 38-game career (41-of-51)…Jeff Pendergraph led the team in charges taken with 19 last year…Derek Glasser is 14-of-26 (.538) from the floor this year.

James Harden UPDATE
Freshman James Harden has been all that was advertised early in the year. The first McDonald's All-American to sign with ASU out of high school since 1984 (it was Chris Sandle before you ask), he leads the team in scoring (16.5), minutes (28.5) and steals (13). The long-armed wing already has four 20-point games, one double-double (15 points and 10 boards vs. Cal Poly) and is averaging 6.1 boards per game and is shooting .563 from the field (45-of-80).

NICE CARRY OVER
ASU won two of its final five last year, beating #22 USC 68-58 on Feb. 18 and then winning 42-41 at Cal March 3 in the regular season finale, matching the best defensive performance in ASU's 522-game Pac-10 history (ASU beat UW 53-41 on Jan. 31, 1991) and the best in a Pac-10 road game. ASU improved throughout last year as in the second half of the Pac-10 season, its scoring margin was less than a three-pointer (-2.5 per game). Although ASU went 8-22 last year, it is 8-5 in its past 13 games.

TWO McDONALD ALL-AMERICANS
ASU has two McDonald's All-Americans on its roster this year with freshmen James Harden (2007) and sophomore Eric Boateng (2005) in uniform. Other Pac-10 teams with McDonald's All-Americans in 2006-2007 include Arizona (Jerryd Bayless in 2007, Chase Budinger in 2006 and Jawann McClellan in 2004), Stanford (Brook and Robin Lopez in 2006), UCLA (Kevin Love from 2007 and James Keefe in 2006), Washington (Jon Brockman in 2005), Oregon (Malik Hairston in 2004) and USC (O.J. Mayo from 2007).

HAS ASU HAD MANY McDONALD'S ALL-AMERICANS PRIOR TO THIS YEAR?
Herb Sendek's first recruit at ASU was Duke transfer Eric Boateng, a 6-10 2005 McDonald's All-American who attended high school in Delaware. He became just the fourth Mickey D AA to appear on an ASU roster, joining Jamal Faulkner (1989), Chris Sandle (1984) and Byron Scott (1979). James Harden is the fifth, but the first to sign out of high school since Sandle in 1984 (Jamal Faulkner went one year of prep school prior to ASU).

WHEN YOU PUT IT THIS WAY, IT REALLY IS IMPRESSIVE
Herb Sendek took NC State to the five straight NCAA Tournaments (2002-2006) prior to ASU. To compare it to the Pac-10, only three schools (and one current Pac-10 coach) can match that in the 29 seasons since ASU and Arizona joined the league in 1978-79. Arizona (currently 23), UCLA (14 straight from 1989-2002) and Stanford (11 straight from 1995-2005) have had NCAA Tournaments streaks of more than five, but none of the other seven Pac-10 schools have gone to the NCAAs more than three straight times since the league expanded to 10 teams. In fact, California (2001-2003), Oregon State (1980-82 and 1988-90) and Washington (1984-86 and 2004-06) are the only schools to have made three straight appearances in that time frame.

"THIS" CLOSE
ASU was in 14 games decided by five points or less, the most by an ASU squad in 23 years (1982-83 team had 17 of 33 games of five points). Fifteen of ASU's games were two-possession games (six points or less). ASU was in 21 games of 10 points or less, which led the Pac-10 and was in just nine games of 11+ point final margins, fewest in the loop. After losing five straight games by 20 total points (including three against ranked teams), ASU posted a 68-58 win over No. 22 USC on Feb. 18, its first win over a ranked team since March 20, 2003.

NO SOPHOMORE JINX
Jeff Pendergraph, a 2006 Pac-10 All-Freshmen selection and 2007 Pac-10 Honorable Mention pick, averaged 12.3 ppg. and 9.3 rpg. in final 24 games last year and posted eight double-doubles (now 14 in career). He finished second in the Pac-10 in FG percentage (.553), rebounding (8.9), offensive rebounding (3.33) and fourth in minutes (35.50) in league games. He ranked second overall in rebounding (9.1) and second in FG percentage (.551) and led league in offensive boards (3.93). He was perfect in eight field goals at Wazzu (Jan. 4) and grabbed 19 boards at Oregon (Feb. and vs. Colgate (Dec. 19), most by a Sun Devil since Mike Batiste had 20 vs. Wagner (Nov. 19, 1997). He could lead ASU in rebounding for the third straight season (only Ike Diogu (2002-05) and Al Nealey (1957-60) have accomplished).

THE HEAD COACH
Herb Sendek is in his 15th season as a head coach and has averaged 18.7 wins per season. He led the Wolfpack to five straight NCAA appearances from 2002-06 and is now 268-182 (.596) in 15 seasons and was 191-132 (.591) at NC State. The 44-year-old (born Feb. 22, 1963) Pittsburgh, Pa., native is the second-youngest coach in the Pac-10 behind only second-year coach Tony Bennett of WSU. Only Duke posted more ACC wins (regular season and ACC Tournament) than NC State's 53 victories from 2002-2006. Coach Sendek also led NC State to five 20-win seasons in his final seven years. Another overlooked note is his 10-year stay at NC State. To compare it to the Pac-10, since the league expanded to 10 teams in 1978-79, only five coaches have coached at their schools for at least 10 years: Lute Olson (24 at Arizona), Ralph Miller (19 at Oregon State), Mike Montgomery (18 at Stanford), Ben Braun (12th at California) and Ernie Kent (11th at Oregon).

TEMPE, Ariz. - Six Arizona State University baseball student-athletes were named to the NCBWA All-America Team, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association announced today. Three Sun Devils were named to the First Team, while two earned Second Team honors and one on the Third Team.

2007 Pac-10 Player of the Year and consensus First Team All-American Brett Wallace headlines the Sun Devils on the First Team. Wallace (Sonoma, Calif.) won the Pac-10's Triple Crown last season, batting .404 with 16 home runs and 78 RBI. The junior collected 107 hits for the 2007 Pac-10 Champs, helping lead ASU to the College World Series for the 20th time in school history.

Joining Wallace on the First Team is junior catcher Petey Paramore and senior LHP Josh Satow. Paramore (Allen, Texas) earned First Team All-Pac-10 honors last year thanks to his .379 average and his Pac-10 leading 53 walks. Paramore was also a First Team Academic All-Pac-10 selection. Satow (Scottsdale, Ariz.) returns for his senior season after tying for the Pac-10 lead with 13 wins last year. He finished 13-3 with a 2.76 ERA and 119 strike outs. He threw one shutout and three complete games to lead the Sun Devil pitching staff. He was a First Team All-Pac-10 selection as well as a Second Team All-American.

Kiel Roling was named to the Second Team as a designated hitter, thanks to a dominating debut season in Tempe. Roling (Grand Junction, Colo.) clubbed 15 homers as a sophomore in 2007, driving in 63 runs while batting .356. He earned First Team All-Pac-10 honors and picked up First Team All-American honors from the ABCA as well as Second Team All-American honors from the NCBWA. Mike Leake joined Roling on the Second Team. Leake (Fallbrook, Calif.) had one of the most dominating freshman seasons in school history, tying teammate Josh Satow for the Pac-10 lead with 13 wins. He finished the year 13-2, striking out a school freshman record 94 batters in 127 innings. He hurled two complete games and also recorded a save. He was named First Team All-Pac-10, a Third Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball and a First Team Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball and Rivals.com.

Ike Davis (Scottsdale, Ariz.) was named to the Third Team, thanks to a sophomore season that saw him hit .349 with eight homers and 61 RBI. Davis also pitched, going 1-1 with a 1.35 ERA. He earned First Team All-Pac-10 honors for the second straight year and was named a Third Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball.

TEMPE, Ariz. - Arizona State University football student-athlete and 2007 Lou Groza Award winner Thomas Weber was named a First Team All-American by the Associated Press today. Weber is the first Sun Devil to be named an AP First Team All-American since Terrell Suggs in 2002.

Weber, a redshirt freshman from Downey, Calif., is one of three freshmen on the First Team, joining Texas Tech WR Michael Crabtree and Missouri's Jeremy Maclin, who was selected as an all-purpose player.

Weber went 22-23 on field goals, including the first 17 of his career. That set a school record for consecutive made field goals and consecutive made field goals to start a career. The 17 straight is an NCAA long this season. He is the Pac-10's leading scorer at 9.0 points per game and was named the Lou Groza Award winner last Thursday in Orlando, Fla.

Weber and the Sun Devils will face the Texas Longhorns in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl on Dec. 27 in San Diego. The game will be televised by ESPN.

TEMPE, Ariz. - 13 Arizona State University football student-athletes earned All-Pac-10 honors from PhilSteele.com, the website announced today. In addition to the All-Pac-10 honors, 2007 Groza Award Winner Thomas Weber earned First Team All-American honors.

Weber, a redshirt freshman from Downey, Calif., was named First Team All-Pac-10 after going 22-23 on field goals, including a 53-yarder at UCLA and the game-winner at Washington State. He began his career by making 17 straight field goals, the longest streak in the NCAA this season. The 17 in a row set a school record for consecutive made field goals and consecutive made field goals to start a career. He is the Pac-10's leading scorer at 9.0 points per game and was named the Lou Groza Award winner last Thursday in Orlando, Fla.

Quarterback Rudy Carpenter, offensive linemen Paul Fanaika and Brandon Rodd, defensive end Dexter Davis, linebacker Robert James and punt returned Kyle Williams all earned Second Team honors. Running back Keegan Herring, center Mike Pollak, cornerback Justin Tryon and safety Troy Nolan were named Third Team All-Pac-10. Wide receiver Chris McGaha and kick returner Rudy Burgess were Honorable Mentions.

The Co-Pac-10 Champion Sun Devils will face the Texas Longhorns in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl on Dec. 27 in San Diego. The game will be televised by ESPN.

TEMPE, Ariz. - The Arizona State University Volleyball program is proud to announce the 2008 graduates who have signed National Letters of Intent to attend ASU.  This class is very athletic and will continue our efforts towards developing a national presence in volleyball.  We are looking forward to these student athletes arriving on our campus and believe they possess the qualities that embody what it means to be a Sun Devil.

Sofie Schlagintweit - Sofie joins the Sun Devils after a great 2007 season which saw her U18 club team, the Fraser Valley Volleyball Club's Blitz claim both the Provincial and National Championships, both of which all-star teams she was named to. For her U17 Provincial Team, she helped lead them to the Gold Medal at the Western Canadian Games, where she was also awarded the British Columbia Leadership Award. A success on the court and in the classroom, Sofie has attended Yale Secondary where she received the University of Waterloo Avagadro Chemistry Award, as well as a school service award while remaining on the Principal's Honor Roll.

Sonja Markanovich - A longtime teammate of Sofie Schlagintweit, Sonja is currently wrapping up her senior year at Archbishop Carney Secondary School, where she has captained her team and received the most valuable player award for three consecutive years. Markanovich has also been a member of the Fraser Valley Volleyball Club (FVVC) since 2005, where she won provincials and nationals for her U16 team. The summers of 2005 and 2006 she joined the Canadian Youth National Team before returning to FVVC where her U17 team came in 2nd at provincials and 5th in nationals in 2006. In 2007 she helped lead her U18 FVVC team to their fifth consecutive provincial championship.

Camri Zwiesler - Camri also joins the Sun Devils with a plethora of accolades. A four-time conference first-team selection as well as named conference MVP for three consecutive years, Camri was also named to the 5A State 1st team for three consecutive years as well as being named the 5A Player of the Year her junior and senior year. Camri was also selected to the 5A State All-Tournament Team in all four of her high school years, the only player in 5A history to do so. She was also named to the Wichita All-Metro Team for three years, the Hutch News Player of the Year and one of Prep Volleyball's Top 100 Senior Aces. In 2006 she was named a Prep Volleyball All-American and is currently a candidate for Gatorade National Athlete of the Year.

Katie Crosby  - Katie joins the Sun Devils as an accomplished setter with the awards and accolades to show it. A California native, Katie helped lead her high school to a 2005 and 2006 state championship as well as a Southern Section Championship in 2006 and to the Sunset League Championship 2004-2007. Some of her individual high school accolades include being named the Sunset League MVP and Dave Mohs Tournament MVP in 2007, as well as being named to the CIF State All-Tournament Team and the Sunset League First-Team in 2006. In club performance, Katie's team was named first in 2006 in the High Performance Championships International Division, as well as being given the Best Setter Award in the 2006 High Performance Championships. She also helped lead her team to first in both the Las Vegas Invitational and the Los Angeles JO Qualifier in 2007.

The men's basketball team will host its highest ranked non-conference foe since the 1980-81 season on Saturday, Dec. 15, at 2 p.m. when it plays No. 17 Xavier on Fox Sports Net. The Musketeers, 7-1 entering their game Wednesday against Cincinnati, are the highest ranked non-conference foe to visit Wells Fargo Arena since ASU topped seventh-ranked Ohio State on Dec. 20, 1980. Xavier is the first ranked non-conference opponent to visit Wells Fargo Arena since No. 18 UTEP topped ASU 60-55 on Dec. 22, 1983.

Ted Robinson and Marques Johnson will have the call Saturday as the Sun Devils make their first appearance on FSN against the Musketeers. Xavier, coached by former Herb Sendek assistant coach Sean Miller, has made the NCAA Tournament seven of the past 10 years and has won at least 20 games nine times in the past 10 years.

ASU has played several ranked non-conference teams in preseason tournaments at neutral sites and some on the road. The 2002, 1998 and 1994 Maui Invitational produced four match-ups against ranked teams, ASU played No. 20 Texas in the 1999 Puerto Rico Classic and in 1997 ASU faced No. 2 Kansas and No. 11 UCONN in back-to-back games at Madison Square Garden. ASU also played at No. 2 Kansas on Dec. 22, 1989, and at No. 9 Kentucky on Dec. 14, 1991, and in 1993-94 ASU played eighth-ranked Oklahoma State in Tulsa on Dec. 2, 1993.

Bad timing has played a part in the drought in terms of playing a ranked non-conference team at home. For example, ASU has actually played two non-conference teams that eventually reached the Final Four (Oklahoma State in 1994-95 and Kansas in 1990-91) that were not ranked in the early part of the year when they visited Tempe.

Here is a look at some near misses of teams that have consistently been near the top 25 or in the NCAA Tournament on a regular basis but for whatever reason they weren't ranked upon visiting Wells Fargo Arena:

BRIGHAM YOUNG (ASU beat the Cougars 80-52 on Dec. 2, 2000, and lost 64-60 on Dec. 4, 2002)
ASU has played BYU twice at Wells Fargo Arena in the past eight years and in both years the Cougars went to the NCAA Tournament but were not ranked at the time of the game.

GEORGIA (ASU beat the Bulldogs 62-61 on Dec. 29, 1989)
Georgia went to the 1990 and 1991 NCAA Tournaments and reached the AP top-25 in the 1989-90 season, but not the week it played ASU.

Iowa (ASU beat Iowa 67-64 on Nov. 25, 2006)
Had the games been reversed and Iowa visited Tempe first, the Hawkeyes would have been ranked as ASU played at No. 22 Iowa one year earlier on Dec. 17, 2005. Iowa had been ranked in seven of the eight previous December polls in 2004 and 2005 and was coming off a Big Ten Tournament championship and back-to-back NCAA appearances.

Kansas (ASU beat Kansas 70-68 on Nov. 23, 1990, in the season opener in Bill Frieder's second season)
In terms of playing a ranked non-conference ranked team at home this could be the ultimate in bad timing. Kansas reached No. 1 the previous year (1989-90) and was in the top five the final 16 polls that year. However, the Jayhawks were not ranked entering the 1990-91 season but eventually reached No. 8 (Feb. 19) and were 12th in the final AP poll (March 12) and fell to Duke 72-65 in national title game. ASU played the second-ranked Jayhawks one year earlier in Lawrence and lost 90-67 in Bill Frieder's first year.

Louisville (ASU lost to Louisville 63-62 in overtime on Feb. 22, 1992)
Louisville was in the polls in seven of the first 11 weeks that year but was not ranked after Jan. 27. This game was in the middle of a stretch where the Denny Crum-led Cardinals would go to the NCAA Tournament nine times in 10 seasons.

New Mexico (ASU lost to New Mexico 86-79 on Dec. 5, 1995 and beat the Lobos 59-54 on Dec. 5, 1990)
New Mexico made seven NCAA appearances in nine seasons (1991-1999) and in both the seasons it visited Tempe it made the NCAA Tournament. The Lobos reached the rankings three times in the 1995-1996 season, but not the week of the Dec. 5 game.

Oklahoma State (ASU beat the Cowboys 68-67 on Dec. 7, 1996 and 72-69 on Dec. 22, 1994)
The Cowboys visited Tempe twice during a 15-year stretch (1991-2005) when they made the tournament 13 times. They reached the 1995 Final Four behind Big Country Reeves, but when they played at Wells Fargo Arena, the Sun Devils were in the top 25 (No. 15) but not the Cowboys. The Cowboys started the season No. 21 and after falling out just two weeks later would eventually rejoin the AP poll on Feb. 6 before ending the season 14th. ASU actually played the Cowboys a year earlier in Tulsa and the Cowboys were ranked eighth on Dec. 2, 1993.

Texas (ASU beat the Longhorns 89-82 on Dec. 29, 1990)
Texas was ranked the first five weeks of the poll that season but fell out the week of the ASU game, as it was No. 23 on Dec. 18 but not ranked on Dec. 25. The Longhorns had reached the Elite Eight the previous season and were in the beginning stages of an eight-year stretch under Tom Penders where they went to the Tournament seven times, including the same season they visited Tempe.

Villanova (ASU beat Wildcats 73-62 in overtime on Dec. 29, 1993)
ASU was a year too early in the Kerry Kittles era. Villanova made the NCAAs in 1990, 1991, 1995, 1996 and 1997 and was ranked in the top 25 for 13 weeks one year later, including a No. 9 ranking twice. It reached as high as second just two Decembers removed from visiting Tempe (1995-96 season).

Arizona State junior center Kirsten Thompson was named the Pac-10 Women's Basketball Player of the Week according to an announcement by Pac-10 Commissioner Tom Hansen on Monday.

In ASU's 77-56 win over UC Davis on Sunday Thompson was perfect from the floor, connecting on all seven of her shot attempts and both free throws to lead the Sun Devils with a season-high 16 points, which fell three short of her career best. Thompson, who also added five rebounds and three assists while playing a season-high 19 minutes, scored 10 of her 16 points in the first half in helping the Sun Devils build a 34-17 halftime lead.

Thompson currently leads the Sun Devils and is third in the Pac-10 in field goal percentage (.600).

Currently ranked No. 18 in the country by the Associated Press, the Sun Devils resume play on Thursday (7 pm. CT/6 p.m. MT) when they travel to Lubbock, Texas, to take on the Texas Tech Lady Raiders.

Saturday's 2 p.m. men's hoops game against nationally ranked Xavier (7-1) begins a solid stretch of television games for the Sun Devils on both FSN and FSN Arizona. Saturday's tilt is one of six games set for a FSN broadcast, while FSN AZ has another nine on the schedule. All ten games between Jan. 26 and March 1 will be on either FSN or FSN Arizona.

Ted Robinson and Marques Johnson will have the call Saturday as the Sun Devils make their first appearance on FSN against the Musketeers. Xavier, coached by former Herb Sendek assistant coach Sean Miller, has made the NCAA Tournament seven of the past 10 years and has won at least 20 games nine times in the past 10 years. It will be the first non-conference ranked opponent at Wells Fargo Arena since No. 18 UTEP beat ASU 60-55 on Dec. 22, 1983.

ASU's next television game after Xavier will be Saturday, Jan. 5, at 2 p.m. against Oregon State on FSN, in the second Pac-10 game of the season. ASU opens the Pac-10 season vs. nationally-ranked Oregon on Jan. 3.

ASU's Jan. 9 game against Arizona will be the first FSN Arizona game of the season with Trey Bender and Tom Kuyper calling the action. Tip time is 7:30 p.m. FSN Arizona will then broadcast the games at Stanford (Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. PT/8 p.m. MT), vs. Washington State (Jan. 26 at 5 p.m. MT), and at USC (Saturday, Feb. 2, at 7:30 p.m. PT/8:30 p.m. MT). The Jan. 31 UCLA game in Los Angeles will be televised on a tape-delay in Arizona at 11:30 p.m.

FSN will then pick up the Sunday, Feb. 10, game in Tucson against Arizona at 12:30 p.m. MT.

ASU's next six games will be on television, as Stanford on Feb. 14 will be a FSN game at 8:30 p.m. MT and Cal on Feb. 16 will be at 4 p.m. on FSN Arizona.

ASU's games on the Washington road trip in late February will both be on TV. The Feb. 21 Washington State game in Pullman will be on FSN Arizona at 6 p.m. PT/7 p.m. MT while the Feb. 23 game against Washington in Seattle will be a 3 p.m. PT/4 p.m. MT tip on FSN.

ASU's Feb. 28 game against UCLA will tip at 8:30 p.m. on FSN Arizona while the Mar. 1 game against USC, which is the final home game of the year, will either tip at 2 p.m. on FSN or at 4 p.m. on FSN Arizona. Tip time will be known in mid-February.

ASU's games at Oregon (March 6) and the season finale at Oregon State (March will be determined in February as well.

All games in the Pac-10 Tournament March 12-15 will be broadcast on FSN except the championship, which will be on CBS.

ASU already has made appearances on ESPN2 (vs. Illinois on Nov. 19 and vs. LSU on Nov. 21) and on ESPNU (vs. Princeton on Nov. 20 and at Nebraska on Dec. 2_. At least 19 of ASU's 31 games will be televised this year.

Arizona State University has sold out of its allotment of 2007 Pacific Life Holiday Bowl tickets, Vice President for Athletics Lisa Love announced Monday.

ASU received 11,000 tickets to the bowl game, which features the No. 12 Sun Devils versus the No. 19 University of Texas Longhorns at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego on December 27th at 5 p.m. PT.

The game is nationally televised by ESPN.

ASU began selling tickets to the game one week ago. Tickets that remained for the general public Monday morning sold in a matter of hours.

If a Sun Devil fan wishes to purchase tickets for the game they are encouraged to buy through the University of Texas ticket office online (www.TexasBoxOffice.com) over the phone at 1-800/982-BEVO (2386).

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) - Kirsten Thompson scored 16 points, grabbed five rebounds and added three assists off the bench in No. 18 Arizona State's 77-56 win Sunday over UC Davis.

Haylee Donaghe scored 13 points and had four assists for UC Davis, which has lost three in a row after winning its first five games of the season.

Thompson was perfect on seven attempts from the field and had 10 points in nine minutes of the first half, pacing the Sun Devils (5-3) to a 34-17 lead at the break.

Lauren Lacey had 10 points and 10 rebounds for Arizona State, whose three losses this season have all come to teams currently in the top 15. Briann January added 14 points and five assists for the Sun Devils, who outrebounded the Aggies 38-20.

Thompson scored six points during a 14-2 run that gave the Sun Devils a 26-14 lead with 4:10 left before halftime. Arizona State led by as much as 26 in the second half.

Heather Bates had 10 points and four rebounds for UC Davis (5-2).

The Aggies made just 19-of-44 (43 percent) from the field, missing 14 of their first 19 shots.

The game was delayed 25 minutes by a power outage in Wells Fargo Arena.

By Matt Storey, ASU Media Relations

Four Sun Devils scored in double figures to lead the ASU men's basketball team to its fourth consecutive home victory, a 60-43 win over Coppin State Saturday.

Forward Jeff Pendergraph scored 13 points, guard James Harden had 12 and guards Ty Abbott and Jerren Shipp added 11 each in the win.

The Sun Devils shot 55 percent in the second half to pull away from a pesky Eagles squad.

"They really challenge you with their changing zone defenses," head coach Herb Sendek said of Coppin State. "I thought in the first half we were really quick to settle for too many 3's. In the second half, I thought we did a better job of going inside."

Harden scored nine of his 12 points in the second half, and he led the Sun Devils with nine rebounds in the game.

Pendergraph added seven rebounds and three blocks, while Shipp, who scored eight second-half points, led the team with five assists in the victory.

The Sun Devils held Coppin State to 34 percent shooting, the fifth time in eight games this season they have kept their opponent under 40 percent from the field, but Pendergraph said he felt the team still has work to do on the defensive end.

"We just need to get more confidence on defense," Pendergraph said. "We've just got to totally buy into what Coach Sendek is trying to tell us, and get back to that defense that we had last year."

ASU out-rebounded the Eagles 30-24, but Sendek said he felt his team still needs to improve on the glass.

"We gave up 10 offensive rebounds out of 25 missed shots, so we have to do a better job in that area," he said.

The Sun Devils used an early 10-0 run to take a 13-3 lead, but Coppin State cut the lead to two with just under six minutes left in the first half.

However, ASU ended the half with seven unanswered points to take a 26-17 lead, as the Eagles did not score in the final 5:59 of the half.

Shipp's three-pointer to begin the second half extended the Sun Devils' run to ten straight points, and Coppin State never got closer than eight after that.

Harden's three-point play gave ASU a 15-point lead with just under eight minutes left, its biggest lead of the game at that point. The Eagles then went the final seven minutes of the game without making a field goal, as the Sun Devils won their sixth game in the last seven.

ASU will face No. 21 Xavier (7-1) next on Dec. 15 at Wells Fargo Arena.

"I think Xavier right now is playing as well as anyone in the country," Sendek said. "They not only are winning, but they're doing it in resounding fashion. It should be a great opportunity for the people in the Valley to see great college basketball."