Arizona State earns No. 11 seed in Pac-12 Tournament, matchup with Utah after loss to UCLA
Mar 9, 2024, 11:14 PM | Updated: 11:53 pm
UCLA guard Dylan Andrews (2) is defended by Arizona State guard Frankie Collins (1) and center Shawn Phillips Jr. (9) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Los Angeles, Saturday, March 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Arizona State men’s basketball closed its final Pac-12 regular season with a 59-47 loss to UCLA at Pauley Pavilion on Saturday night, clinching the No. 11 seed in the Pac-12 Tournament.
ASU (14-17, 8-12) will face No. 6 seed Utah in Las Vegas on Wednesday with No. 3 seed Colorado awaiting the winner. Arizona is the top seed in the field.
The Sun Devils enter the tournament on a three-game losing streak and without guard Jose Perez, who left the team after its loss to USC on Thursday for personal reasons, a team spokesperson told Arizona Sports.
Arizona State led for most of the second half on Saturday until UCLA took a 45-44 lead with 5:44 amidst an 18-1 Bruins (15-16, 10-10) run. ASU endured a seven-minute scoring drought and went more than 12 minutes without a field goal.
UCLA closed the game on a 22-3 run, as ASU shot 5-for-22 in the second half to score 16 points. ASU also went 5-for-14 from the free-throw line.
Adam Miller led ASU with 13 points on 5-for-16 shooting, and Jamiya Neal was close behind with 12 points on 5-for-11 shooting. Adem Bona finished with a game-high 20 points and 12 rebounds for UCLA.
The Sun Devils fell behind by 10 in the first half but used an 18-4 run to take a 31-27 advantage into the break. Miller had 11 points at the break, including this tough runner off the glass.
One Man Fast Break 🏃♂️💨 @AceWolf44 grabs the rebound and heads straight to the bucket 😠
📺 @FS1
📱 https://t.co/cjJg4JYXrA pic.twitter.com/Vm0YsBnStR— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) March 10, 2024
UCLA snapped a five-game losing streak with the win.
Arizona State defeated Utah twice during the regular season, most recently on Feb. 10 in Salt Lake City, 85-77. Perez led ASU in scoring during both victories, though.
