Arizona State played its best game of the season and let it out on UCLA. They shot 58 percent from three, almost doubling their average of 30 percent which is last in the Pac-12. Alonzo Verge scored 26 points off the bench. This was a breakout the Sun Devils were looking for all season. Arizona beats UCLA 84-66.
Arizona State Sun Devils Knock Off UCLA Bruins 84-66
Game Recap
The Sun Devils used two first-half runs in the first half to distance themselves from the Bruins with a 10-2 run and 11-1 run to go up 39-28 at halftime. It helped that Arizona State came out hot from three making eight of their first 10. They shot lights out from three all game. Kimani Lawrence and Khalid Thomas were both perfect from three both making all three of their attempts from beyond the arc.
Verge scored 26 points and shot a very efficient 10-16 and 3-4 from beyond the arc. Including 20 points in the second half and making seven of eight shots. Remy Martin added 15 points. He did not shoot well only 3-9 from the field but made up for it with seven assists. Rob Edwards scored 13 points. The Sun Devils’ largest lead came after an Edwards three to put them up 76-53.
Cody Riley played really well scoring 16 points and making seven of his 11 shots. Tyger Campbell struggled shooting 4 of 15 accounting for 13 points and five assists. Chris Smith and Jules Bernard both scored 9 points. The issue with UCLA is that they did not defend the three and shot 37 percent from the field.
The Difference
Arizona State shot 14 of 24 from three compared to UCLA shot 7 of 25. The Sun Devils also shot 50 percent from the field that is what happens when a team has a three-point barrage. Arizona State edged UCLA in assists 16 to 10. It was simple; the Sun Devils made their three-point shots and the Bruins did not.
Looking Ahead
Looking to continue their momentum from this game Arizona State plays USC. USC just came off a close loss against Arizona in Tucson. This will be a big game for both teams each has 4 losses in the Pac-12. USC is currently projected in the NCAA tournament while Arizona State is out. Meanwhile, UCLA plays Arizona on Saturday.
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