LAS VEGAS, Nev. — If history is any guide, Arizona State will make it through a first-round loss to California in the Pac-12 tournament fine, although it was little consolation Thursday.
Without injured senior point guard Kiara Russell, the No. 24 Sun Devils had trouble managing California’s pressing defense and were upset by the 12th-seeded Bears, 71-67, in the first round at the Mandalay Bay Resort Arena.
Russell was injured against Stanford last week. When ASU lost starting point Dymond Simon to a knee injury against the Cardinal in the 2009 regular season finale, it made the NCAA Elite Eight.