LOS ANGELES - The Arizona State men's basketball team dropped a 79-61 road contest at the No. 4 UCLA Bruins Thursday night at Pauley Pavillion.
Despite the setback, Arizona State (20-10, 11-8) still has 10 wins away from home and two of them ranked including last weekend's heroics at No. 7 Arizona.
Facing its second consecutive AP Top 10 ranked team, Arizona State raced out to a 12-2 advantage in the first half, forcing a UCLA (26-4, 17-2) timeout. The Sun Devils held that lead until a series of free throws at 2:25 gave the Bruins their first lead since 2-0, early in the first half.
The Sun Devils put up one of its strongest first halves of the season, forcing the Bruins into 10 turnovers - right at their season average - and leading for nearly all of the way before UCLA snapped into gear and took the lead into the half.
The UCLA crowd - which has aided the longest winning streak in the nation at 24 contests - woke up, and earned the Bruins positive momentum into the half, as the Bruins ended the first half on an 11-14 scoring advantage in 2:25. ASU entered the break trailing 36-23. The advantage only ballooned from the end of the first half, with UCLA leading by as many as 20 in the second stanza.
Arizona State will look to rebound against USC Saturday night at the Galen Center in the regular season finale.
NOTABLES
- UCLA entered the contest as the national leader in turnover differential, leading by an average of +6 per game.
- ASU led the turnover battle 19-16.
- The Bruins had won the turnover battle in 28 of 29 games played entering.
- The Bruins averaged 10.2 turnovers per game entering (fewest in Pac-12), turned the ball over 10+ times in the first half twice this season; both against ASU. Additionally, the Sun Devil defense forced seven Bruin turnovers in the first 9:59.
- The 19 turnovers are the most for UCLA since they had 20 at Utah on Feb. 20, 2020.
- Arizona State scored 61 points, nearly two more than UCLA's league-leading 59.7 per game.
- The Sun Devils remain one of only four teams in the Power 5, Big East and Mountain West to have forced double digit turnovers in each conference game this season.
- It's the Sun Devils 22nd consecutive conference game forcing double-digit turnovers, the most in the Pac-12. In fact, it's the 28th time in the last 30 games forcing double-digit turnovers, and 55 of 61 dating back to the start of last season.
- This is the 20th time in 30 games this season that Desmond Cambridge Jr. has scored in double figures.
- DJ Horne led the Sun Devils in scoring for the seventh time this season, second on the team behind Desmond Cambridge Jr.
- Horne improved his career scoring average against the Bruins. In his fourth game against UCLA, Horne put up 13 points and entered averaging 11.8.
- Desmond Cambridge Jr. extended his Pac-12 leading 25th straight game with a made three-pointer.