LOS ANGELES – Despite playing with the all-out effort and never-give-up mentality it has come to be synonymous with, the Sun Devil women's basketball team was unable to overcome No. 10 UCLA in a 78-45 decision on Sunday.
Sophomore Jalyn Brown led all players with 25 points while Journey Thompson just missed double figures in rebounds with a game-high nine boards.
Sunday's game concluded an unenviable stretch in which the Sun Devils (10-14, 2-10 Pac-12) played seven of nine games on the road. The series of contests kicked off with the two furthest possible road trips – games in the states of Oregon and Washington – for the Sun Devils.
It would be hard to blame the Sun Devils if the weariness from such a stretch contributed to their performance on Sunday as they shot just 27 percent for the game, including 20 percent from behind the arc. In addition to the difficulty it had getting the ball to go through the hoop on, ASU, one of the nation's best teams when it has come to taking care of the basketball, had 16 turnovers against the Bruins.
The Bruins (19-4, 8-4 Pac-12) not only took full advantage of ASU's miscues (26 points), but were also exceptional on the offensive end, connecting on 52 percent of their shots and 46 percent of their 3-pointers (6-13).
After getting outscored 17-10 in the first quarter, the Sun Devils put together their best sequence of the game as they outscored UCLA 7-2 over the first six-plus minutes of the second quarter to pull within two points, 19-17. If there was a negative during the successful stretch it was the Sun Devils not being able to score more points while the Bruins were struggling with their offense.
ASU's inability to do more damage on the scoreboard was magnified when they Bruins finally found their footing and closed the half with a 9-2 run to take a 28-19 lead at the half.
UCLA's success carried over into the third quarter as they opened the second half with a 17-6 run to more than double their halftime lead, 45-25 with 5:48 remaining in the third quarter.
The Sun Devils were never able to find the magic that enabled them to come back from 19 down in the third quarter and force overtime against the Bruins in the first round of last year's Pac-12 Tournament game.
ASU returns home this weekend to host Washington on Friday (6 p.m. MST) and Washington State on Sunday (12 p.m. MST). Click here to purchase tickets to either or both games.
SUN DEVIL CAREER POINTS CHART
1. 2,361-Kym Hampton (1980-84)
14. 1,194-Jodi Rathbun (1982-86)
15. 1,178-Kianna Ibis (2015-2019)
16. 1,148-Lisa Salsman (1989-93)
17. 1,134-Jovonne Smith (1989-93)
18. 1,127-Robbi Ryan (2016-20)
19. 1,096-Jaddan Simmons (2020-present)
JALYN BROWN'S 20-POINT GAMES THIS SEASON (11)
35 - vs. Colorado (1/7/24)
34 - at Washington (1/21/24)
25 – at UCLA (2/11/24)
24 - at USC (2/9/24)
21 - vs. California (1/28/24)
21 - at Washington State (1/19/24)
21 - vs. Utah (1/5/24)
20 - at Oregon State (1/14/24)
20 - vs. Fresno State (12/20/23)
20 - vs. Pacific (12/1/23)
20 - vs. High Point (11/25/23)
Sophomore Jalyn Brown led all players with 25 points while Journey Thompson just missed double figures in rebounds with a game-high nine boards.
Sunday's game concluded an unenviable stretch in which the Sun Devils (10-14, 2-10 Pac-12) played seven of nine games on the road. The series of contests kicked off with the two furthest possible road trips – games in the states of Oregon and Washington – for the Sun Devils.
It would be hard to blame the Sun Devils if the weariness from such a stretch contributed to their performance on Sunday as they shot just 27 percent for the game, including 20 percent from behind the arc. In addition to the difficulty it had getting the ball to go through the hoop on, ASU, one of the nation's best teams when it has come to taking care of the basketball, had 16 turnovers against the Bruins.
The Bruins (19-4, 8-4 Pac-12) not only took full advantage of ASU's miscues (26 points), but were also exceptional on the offensive end, connecting on 52 percent of their shots and 46 percent of their 3-pointers (6-13).
After getting outscored 17-10 in the first quarter, the Sun Devils put together their best sequence of the game as they outscored UCLA 7-2 over the first six-plus minutes of the second quarter to pull within two points, 19-17. If there was a negative during the successful stretch it was the Sun Devils not being able to score more points while the Bruins were struggling with their offense.
ASU's inability to do more damage on the scoreboard was magnified when they Bruins finally found their footing and closed the half with a 9-2 run to take a 28-19 lead at the half.
UCLA's success carried over into the third quarter as they opened the second half with a 17-6 run to more than double their halftime lead, 45-25 with 5:48 remaining in the third quarter.
The Sun Devils were never able to find the magic that enabled them to come back from 19 down in the third quarter and force overtime against the Bruins in the first round of last year's Pac-12 Tournament game.
ASU returns home this weekend to host Washington on Friday (6 p.m. MST) and Washington State on Sunday (12 p.m. MST). Click here to purchase tickets to either or both games.
SUN DEVIL CAREER POINTS CHART
1. 2,361-Kym Hampton (1980-84)
14. 1,194-Jodi Rathbun (1982-86)
15. 1,178-Kianna Ibis (2015-2019)
16. 1,148-Lisa Salsman (1989-93)
17. 1,134-Jovonne Smith (1989-93)
18. 1,127-Robbi Ryan (2016-20)
19. 1,096-Jaddan Simmons (2020-present)
JALYN BROWN'S 20-POINT GAMES THIS SEASON (11)
35 - vs. Colorado (1/7/24)
34 - at Washington (1/21/24)
25 – at UCLA (2/11/24)
24 - at USC (2/9/24)
21 - vs. California (1/28/24)
21 - at Washington State (1/19/24)
21 - vs. Utah (1/5/24)
20 - at Oregon State (1/14/24)
20 - vs. Fresno State (12/20/23)
20 - vs. Pacific (12/1/23)
20 - vs. High Point (11/25/23)