No. 8 Arizona State women's basketball really had not been in a close game since Dec. 12 at Syracuse, winning its first six Pac-12 games by an average of 16 points.
On Friday night, ASU pulled away from Arizona to win by a similar margin, 61-49, but nothing about it was easy.
The vastly improved Wildcats (11-8 2-5 Pac-12) were even at halftime, 26-26, and trailed by one, 37-36, late in the third quarter before 3,455 fans, including former ASU star Briann January, at Wells Fargo Arena. But ASU (16-3, 7-0) maintained its composure and defensive pressure for its 13th consecutive victory, two shy of the school record.