Sun Devils Struggle Against Ninth-Ranked Bruins at Pauley Pavilion
The Arizona State Sun Devils faced a challenging contest against the UCLA Bruins, culminating in a 45-78 defeat. The Sun Devils now stand with an unranked status, while the Bruins boast a ninth rank. The game unfolded at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion, where the home team capitalized on their court advantage.
From the outset, the Sun Devils were met with formidable opposition as they scored 10 points to UCLA's 17 in the first quarter. Despite their efforts, they trailed throughout each quarter with scores of 9 in the second, 12 in the third and finally adding another 14 points in the fourth. Their offensive attempts resulted in a field goal percentage of just twenty-seven percent from sixty attempts and only twenty percent from beyond the arc.
Arizona State's defense managed to block three shots and procure seven steals during play but was outrebounded by UCLA who secured forty-four rebounds compared to Arizona State's thirty-two. On offense, Arizona State made fourteen two-pointers out of fifty attempts which translated into a twenty-eight percent success rate for two-point shots. They fared better at free throws with an impressive seventy-three percent accuracy from fifteen free throw attempts.
The Sun Devils did show some resilience by scoring twelve points off turnovers and securing nine second-chance points but struggled to maintain possession with sixteen turnovers throughout the game. Their assists-turnover ratio stood at a lowly point thirty-one compared to UCLA’s one point seventy-seven.
On individual performance levels for Arizona State, contributions were spread across players but not enough to shift momentum significantly against a strong Bruins side that executed six blocks and eight steals defensively while also achieving an impressive fifty-two percent field goal accuracy overall.
Looking ahead for fans of Arizona State Sun Devils basketball team is their next matchup scheduled against Washington Huskies on February 16th at Desert Financial Arena located in Tempe, AZ. This home game will be broadcast live for supporters unable to attend what promises to be an exciting encounter as part of regular season play.