Bruins Fall Into Some Foul Play, UCLA Loses To Arizona State 68-66

It was the most important game remaining on the schedule, yet the UCLA Bruins (16-11, 8-6) were unable to beat the lowly Arizona State Sun Devils (14-12, 6-7) in Tempe. Why was this the most important game? Well, seeing as how the Bruins are not that great away from Pauley Pavilion and are taking on the #7 Arizona Wildcats on Saturday, in Tucson, it would have been nice for the Bruins to get a victory. Unfortunately, they might have to face the fact that they could be swept on the road… again.

The Bruins did not do too bad in the first half, in fact, UCLA was shooting 52% though not getting enough shots off as a team. Their defense was something left to be desired, yet the Bruins had five total blocked shots during that time. Despite allowing the Sun Devils easy access to the rim, the Bruins started to stop ASU’s attempts late in the first half. That caused ASU’s offensive production to decline when they could not get in the paint. The Sun Devils were shooting just over 40% which resulted in a 36-32 halftime deficit.

UCLA Bruins

The second half was a different story, but it was one that UCLA could have easily re-wrote.

Though the Bruins were playing tough, they were also playing aggressive as both Tony Parker and Kevon Looney got into foul trouble in the second half. Parker had picked up his fourth with just under 10 minutes left in the game and sat for the next five minutes. Though the Bruins could have used him on the floor, he did not help much in the stat columns. Parker ended his game with 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist and 1 block as he fouled out with 3:22 remaining in the game.

Looney had picked up two quick fouls shorty after that and took a permanent seat on the bench as he fouled out with 18 seconds left. Though he finished with a better game than Parker (14 points, 5 steals, 6 rebounds and 2 assists), UCLA’s bigs are going to need more than that from their top two big men if they want to survive the NCAA Tournament (pending they make it).

Feb 18, 2015; Tempe, AZ, USA; UCLA Bruins forward Kevon Looney reacts in the second half against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Wells-Fargo Arena. The Sun Devils defeated the Bruins 68-66. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Yet the downfall was not solely on the front court. The Bruin guards did not do much to help their tourney hopes. Bryce Alford did not score until just over 11 minutes in the second half expired. He ended the game shooting 4-for-14 (28.6%), but somehow managed 14 points. Powell was in the same boat as he could not make a basket until a minute and half left in the game as he finished with 16.

UCLA, though locked in a back-and-forth battle with ASU the majority of the second half, had several chances to pull ahead, but once again fell back into bad habits of making contested shots and drawing up bad plays (though execution had a big role in that).

The Bruins, down by five with just under 2 minted left, battled back and were given one last chance with seven seconds left. Tra Holder had gone to the line for Arizona State and was in the double bonus. Unfortunate for ASU, he missed one, which only gave the Sun Devils a 2-point 68-66 lead. Norman Powell had taken it the length of the court, but as he drove down to the baseline, he was trapped and passed the ball to an unsuspecting Isaac Hamilton who badly missed the three-point attempt.

And just like that, the Bruin’s tournament chances got a bit slimmer. Though they could have really used this win, they get a chance to bounce back Saturday at Arizona, but how likely is that?