ASU Thrashes UCLA Basketball, 78-60

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

UCLA hoops followed up arguably its biggest win of the season with its worst 40-minute performance, as the Arizona State Sun Devils beat the Bruins, 78-60 on Saturday afternoon.

Arizona State led for all but five minutes of the game, taking a 7-6 advantage with 16 minutes left in the first half. The Sun Devils never trailed after that and, to start the second half, saw their lead inflate quickly to a double-digit edge in the first two minutes of the period.

UCLA trailed for double-digits the rest of the contest.

The Bruins had particular trouble with 7-foot-2 center Jordan Bachynski and, as a result, Bachynski earned a season-high 22 points to go along with 15 rebounds and six blocks, all while shooting 10-for-12 from the field. UCLA had no answer for the Canadian big man, which eventually led to their demise. Carrick Felix led the Devils in scoring with 23 points off of 8-for-12 shooting to go along with 11 rebounds.

Jordan Adams led the way for UCLA in scoring with 19 points off of 7-for-17 shooting, accompanied by six rebounds and five steals. Shabazz Muhammad finished with 18 points, two rebounds, and two assists.

With the loss, the Bruins fell to 6-2 in Pac-12 play and 16-5 on the season. This puts them tied for second-place in the conference with Arizona State and Arizona.

UCLA will take on USC (8-12, 3-4 Pac-12) on Wednesday night at Pauley Pavilion.