UCLA basketball: Bruins finish regular season with 56-46 loss
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This was hardly a selling point nationally for the Pacific 10 Conference. Sure, Arizona State handled UCLA, 56-46, at Wells Fargo Arena. But the Sun Devils, who finished the regular season second in the conference, were hardly the poster children for an at-large spot into the NCAA tournament.
The Sun Devils scored 13 unanswered points to start the game, but were unable to secure a dominating victory before a national television audience.
The conference could face a chore in getting a second team into the NCAA tournament should regular-season champion California win the conference tournament. The Sun Devils (22-9 overall, 12-6 in conference play) seemed the conference’s best bet.
In past seasons, a victory over UCLA would resonate nationally. But this version of UCLA basketball hardly rates a bounce. The Bruins (13-17, 8-10) will have only their third losing since 1947-48 unless they win the conference tournament and reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.
Arizona State’s national reputation is scarred by its a 0-3 record against teams currently in the Associated Press top 25. The Pac-10 has a 2-13 record against ranked teams.
Saturday’s victory did little to enhance the Sun Devils’ resume. They burst to a 13-0 lead, holding the Bruins scoreless until Tyler Honeycutt’s dunk 5 minutes and 20 seconds into the game.
But Arizona State meandered from there. The Sun Devils shot only 41% and were five for 23 on three-pointers. Center Eric Boateng was their only player in double figures, finishing with 16 points and 14 rebounds.
But UCLA could not capitalize on the Sun Devil’s sluggishness. Back-to-back three-pointers by Nikola Dragovic pulled the Bruins to within 35-30 with 16:46 left in the game, but they got no closer.
UCLA shot 33%, making only four of 20 three-pointers. Dragovic and Malcolm Lee each had 15 points to lead the Bruins.
--Chris Foster, reporting from Tempe, Ariz.
Twitter.com/cfosterlatimes