In front of a crowd of 1,294, two Division I women’s college basketball teams descended upon La Crosse on Sunday.
No. 17 Arizona State defeated Arizona State 65-51 at Mitchell Hall at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
The “Battle by the Bluffs” event was set up by KSU coach Brian Ostermann, who graduated from UW-L in 1988, as a way of allowing some of both teams players compete closer to home — five athletes are either from Wisconsin or Minnesota.
DeForest, Wis., native Kayla Goth led all scorers with 19 points for Kansas State (7-3). Goth, averaging over 17 points, was the KSU MVP last season and second team all-Big 12.
Arizona State (8-2), which was up 29-26 at half and never trailed after the break. Up 52-48, the Wildcats went on an 11-1 run to put the game away.
They spread the scoring, with four in double figures led by Sophia Elenga’s 12 points off the bench. Three others scored 10 and two more had eight.