Arizona State women’s outdoor game cut short because of rain

There’s a reason basketball is an indoor sport. It’s cold outside in mid-December, even in the desert, and it might rain.

Just as it did Monday night.

Tenth-ranked Arizona State beat Texas Tech, 61-45, when the second outdoor game in women’s college basketball history was called because of rain with 4:18 to play at Chase Field in Phoenix, home of baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks.

“A basketball game has never been rained out before,” Arizona State’s Emily Westerberg said, “so I think it’s really cool to be a part of that.”

They pulled out the tarp, but there wasn’t time to close the roof before the court got dangerously wet and the game was called because of concern that players would be injured.

“I think it was a blast, actually,” Arizona State’s Danielle Orsillo said of the game’s damp finish. “I think it just added more character to the game. It was really fun.”

The temperature was a brisk 56 degrees at tipoff under partly cloudy skies in downtown Phoenix, and most of the crowd of 7,791 in the 49,000-seat stadium was bundled up like Green Bay Packers fans at Lambeau Field.

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SOUTHLAND MEN

Texas Arlington 78, UC Riverside 77 -- Junior forward Jermaine Griffin scored 27 points and was awarded the game-winning basket on a goaltending call with 9.4 seconds left at Riverside.

With the Mavericks (4-5) trailing by one, Griffin’s turnaround, five-foot shot hit the glass before Highlanders guard Larry Cunningham swatted the ball away.

UC Riverside (3-7) had one final chance, but guard Dedrick Bates missed a 15-foot jump shot at the buzzer.

Four players scored in double figures for UC Riverside, which lost its fifth straight. Freshman forward Henrik Thomsen scored a career-high 23 points.