LOS ANGELES – The No. 25 Arizona State women's basketball team was unable to get a win on its road trip to Los Angeles after it came up short against No. 8 UCLA 71-63 on Sunday.
Robbi Ryan (14 points), Kianna Ibis (13 points) and Courtney Ekmark (13 points) combined to score 40 points for the Sun Devils (17-9, 8-6 Pac-12), who played most of the game without reserve guard Kiara Russell. The team leader in steals, Russell was forced to leave the game with an ankle injury early in the second quarter.
In addition to being one of the leaders on the offensive end, Ibis was also a major player in ASU's rebounding effort as she grabbed 11 boards on Sunday to earn her first career double-double. As a team, the Sun Devils outrebounded the Bruins 30-28.
Reili Richardson (eight assists) and Ryan (four assists) combined for 12 of ASU's 14 assists against UCLA.
After trailing by as many as 12 midway through the third quarter, the Sun Devils fought back and got within two points after Ryan beat the shot clock with a 3-pointer 41 seconds into the final frame.
UCLA's Jordin Canada, who had a game-high 16 points to go with 10 assists, returned with a layup at the opposite end, but Sophia Elenga, who had six points and five rebounds, came back with a basket to once again make it a two-point game, 56-54 with 8:25 remaining.
A 6-0 run by the Bruins would follow giving them a 62-54 lead with six minutes left.
Two free throws by Elenga and a layup by Ryan made it a four-point game, but Canada would answer with a 3-pointer that put UCLA up by seven with under four minutes left. The Sun Devils would get no closer the rest of the game.
The Sun Devils jumped on the Bruins early as they scored seven of the game's first eight points to take a 7-1 lead. The Bruins would come right back by scoring nine of the next 11 points to take a 10-9 lead midway through the first quarter.
Up 19-18 at the start of the second quarter the Bruins would score eight straight to take a 27-19 lead. They took their first double-digit lead, 35-25, with just over two minutes left in the half and would go to the break up 37-25.
The Sun Devils used a 10-2 run in the third quarter to cut the Bruins' lead to four points and went to the fourth quarter down by five.
The Sun Devils return to action on Friday (7 p.m. MT) when they host Arizona in the first of back-to-back games against the Wildcats. Two days (Sun., Feb. 18) the two teams will reconvene for the rematch in Tucson.
Robbi Ryan (14 points), Kianna Ibis (13 points) and Courtney Ekmark (13 points) combined to score 40 points for the Sun Devils (17-9, 8-6 Pac-12), who played most of the game without reserve guard Kiara Russell. The team leader in steals, Russell was forced to leave the game with an ankle injury early in the second quarter.
In addition to being one of the leaders on the offensive end, Ibis was also a major player in ASU's rebounding effort as she grabbed 11 boards on Sunday to earn her first career double-double. As a team, the Sun Devils outrebounded the Bruins 30-28.
Reili Richardson (eight assists) and Ryan (four assists) combined for 12 of ASU's 14 assists against UCLA.
After trailing by as many as 12 midway through the third quarter, the Sun Devils fought back and got within two points after Ryan beat the shot clock with a 3-pointer 41 seconds into the final frame.
UCLA's Jordin Canada, who had a game-high 16 points to go with 10 assists, returned with a layup at the opposite end, but Sophia Elenga, who had six points and five rebounds, came back with a basket to once again make it a two-point game, 56-54 with 8:25 remaining.
A 6-0 run by the Bruins would follow giving them a 62-54 lead with six minutes left.
Two free throws by Elenga and a layup by Ryan made it a four-point game, but Canada would answer with a 3-pointer that put UCLA up by seven with under four minutes left. The Sun Devils would get no closer the rest of the game.
The Sun Devils jumped on the Bruins early as they scored seven of the game's first eight points to take a 7-1 lead. The Bruins would come right back by scoring nine of the next 11 points to take a 10-9 lead midway through the first quarter.
Up 19-18 at the start of the second quarter the Bruins would score eight straight to take a 27-19 lead. They took their first double-digit lead, 35-25, with just over two minutes left in the half and would go to the break up 37-25.
The Sun Devils used a 10-2 run in the third quarter to cut the Bruins' lead to four points and went to the fourth quarter down by five.
The Sun Devils return to action on Friday (7 p.m. MT) when they host Arizona in the first of back-to-back games against the Wildcats. Two days (Sun., Feb. 18) the two teams will reconvene for the rematch in Tucson.