Feb. 17, 2001
TEMPE, Ariz. - Arizona State junior Melody Johnson turned in her fourth double-double of the season with a career-best 23 points and 10 rebounds to lead the 24th-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils rolled to a 78-60 victory over UCLA Saturday night at Wells Fargo Arena. With the victory, Arizona State moved into sole possession of first place in the Pac-10 and improves to 18-7 overall and 10-3 in the Pac-10.
Johnson made all 10 of her field goals as the Sun Devils built a 26-point lead in the second half and earned the season sweep over the Bruins for the first time in school history. The team's 18 wins are also the most for the Sun Devils since the 1991-92 season when the team went 20-9 overall en route to ASU's last NCAA Tournament appearance.
"You never think you have an easy game in the Pac-10, especially since this was upset weekend in the conference," Arizona State head coach Charli Turner Thorne said. "We said this (co-conference leaders Stanford and Washington losing this weekend) was opportunity knocking, so we wanted to open the door and grab it. Melody (Johnson) did a great job of finishing and Amanda (Levens) and Natalie (Tucker) did a great job as well."
Arizona State shot 63 percent in the first half and closed out the stanza with a 12-run to go up 42-24 at halftime. Johnson had 13 points in the first half, while Levens contributed nine points and six assists in the first 20 minutes. Levens hit a 3-pointer and two free throws in the run.
Freshman Betsy Boardman's jumper with 11:49 to play gave Arizona a 60-39 lead, while the Sun Devils stretched their lead to 73-47 on senior Aubrey McFadyen's free throws with 5:17 left.
ASU finished the game shooting a season-high 54.7 percent and matched their season best with eight three-pointers. Johnson led the team with her 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Boardman added 18 points and tied her career best with three three-pointers. Levens turned in 14 points and a career-high eight assists, while McFadyen had her best game of the season with 12 points, four rebounds and two blocked shots.
Sophomore Kristee Porter scored 16 points and junior Michelle Greco added 15 for the Bruins (3-20, 2-10), who lost their seventh straight.
Arizona State returns to action Saturday, Feb. 24, traveling to Tucson to take on intrastate rival Arizona. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. The game will be televised locally by Cox Communications (Channel 9). All of ASU's games this season can also be heard on XTRA 910 AM or via the internet at www.thesundevils.com.