Feb. 27, 2004
SEATTLE, Wash. - -Junior Kylan Loney had 12 points to lead a balanced Arizona State scoring attack, but it wasn't enough as the Sun Devils fell to the Washington Huskies 63-55 Thursday night at Bank of America Arena.
After Washington (16-10, 9-8 Pac-10) took a 4-0 lead on two straight buckets by freshman Cameo Hicks, ASU used a 9-2 run to go up 18-11 with 10:54 left in the first half. The Sun Devils (17-9, 11-6) maintained that advantage through the end of the first half, leading by as many as nine, 27-18, with 3:00 left on the clock. The Huskies cut the lead to three points late in the first half, but Loney drained a long three at the buzzer to give ASU a 36-32 halftime lead.
Washington scored the first six points of the second half to tie the score at 32 with 18:36 to play. The game stayed close over the next few minutes with three ties. Loney knocked down a three-pointer to put ASU up 41-40 with 11:45 to play, but Washington took the lead with a three-pointer by Andrea Lalum and a pair of free throws by Giuliana Mendiola to go up 45-41 with 11:09 to play.
Washington led by as many as eight points later in the half, but the Sun Devils cut the lead to one point, 50-49, after junior Betsy Boardman made a pair of free throws with 4:11 to play to cap off a 7-0 run. Washington, however, made 9-of-12 free throws down the stretch to take the 63-55 victory.
Mendiola finished with a season-high 31 points, making 16-of-20 free throws. UW experienced a huge advantage at the free throw line, making 25-of-35 attempts at the charity stripe compared to just 13-of-14 for the Sun Devils. Lalum added 15 points for Washington, while Jill Bell had 13 rebounds.
Loney led the Sun Devils with 12 points, while junior Carrie Buckner and sophomore Amy Denson each had nine points. Denson had a team-high eight rebounds, while sophomore Kristen Kovesdy and freshman Aubree Johnson each pulled down seven rebounds.
Arizona State wraps up the regular season Saturday afternoon at Washington State. Saturday's game will tip off at 2 p.m. Pacific (3 p.m. Mountain) and can be heard locally on NBC 1190 AM or via the internet at www.thesundevils.com. Pairings for the Pac-10 Tournament next week in San Jose, Calif., will be announced on Sunday, Feb. 29.