Arizona State Falls Short in Road Test at UCLA

The Arizona State Sun Devils walked into Pauley Pavilion hoping for a rare two-game sweep of the UCLA Bruins after upsetting them in triple overtime just weeks ago in Tempe.

The Bruins looked to prove Arizona State's upset victory was merely a fluke, and Monday night's 66-52 victory over ASU proved precisely that.

The Sun Devils were simply outmatched by a Bruins team playing without one of their top players in guard Tyger Campbell.

Arizona State now looks to bounce back after their first loss since Feb. 10.

Here's how the action panned out in ASU's efforts against No. 12 UCLA:

First-Half Recap

Starters
G DJ Horne
G Jay Heath
F Kimani Lawrence
F Jalen Graham
F Alonzo Gaffney

The game started out rather slowly, as the first field goal made by either team came via a Heath layup at the 17:23 mark.

The Bruins went on a 7-2 run in the early stages of the game and maintained that lead throughout the entire first half. UCLA led by as much as 17 in the first half, carrying at least a 10-point lead or larger in the final 8:25 of the first half.

Arizona State, which had only 11 turnovers in the previous meeting with the Bruins, had nine by halftime, four of which coming from guard Marreon Jackson.

UCLA dominated from the jump, shooting 41% from the field and outscoring ASU 7-0 on fast-break points. Arizona State shot just 35% from the floor while making only one of their eight three-point attempts.

The Bruins were the stronger side throughout the entire first 20 minutes of play, although the Sun Devils managed to shave some of UCLA's lead down towards the end of the first half, going on a small 6-0 run lead with four points from Jackson.

Arizona State ultimately headed to the break down 34-21.

Second-Half Recap

The Sun Devils went on a 11-2 run to begin the second half, cutting UCLA's lead to six points, while making their first four shot attempts of the half.

Arizona State had another 7-0 run later in the second half, drawing the Bruins' lead to 43-39 and forcing head coach Mick Cronin to call a timeout with 11:50 remaining.

ASU's comeback efforts were led by Horne, who had nine points in the first eight minutes of the second half. UCLA turned the ball over four times up to that point, shooting a dismal 22% to begin the final half of play.

The Sun Devils then drew within one at the 8:02 mark.

However, the Bruins, just when it looked like Arizona State would take the lead and full control of the game, picked their play up when it counted. UCLA eventually extended the lead to nine points and led ASU 56-47 at the 3:28 media timeout.

Shooting free throws with 2:24 left, UCLA extended their margin to double digits, and proved to be too much for ASU with little time left. Arizona State applied full-court pressure, but the Bruins weren't fazed.

Despite late surges from ASU, the game ended with a 66-52.

Stat Leaders

Points: Horne/Jackson/Heath (9)
Rebounds: Graham/Jackson (5)
Assists: Horne (4)

What's Next

Arizona State continues the road trip with a test at Colorado on Thursday, Feb. 24.