UCLA
15-16,10-10Pac-12
Arizona State
14-17,8-12Pac-12
Men's Basketball Outlasts Arizona State, 59-47
March 09, 2024 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES – Adem Bona totaled a team-leading 20 points and had 12 rebounds to lead the UCLA men's basketball team past Arizona State, 59-47, in the final regular-season game for both programs on Saturday night.
Bona made 6 of 8 shots and was a perfect 8-for-8 at the free throw line, as UCLA (15-16, 10-10 Pac-12) snapped a five-game losing streak. Bona registered his sixth double-double of the season and the ninth of his career.
Lazar Stefanovic scored 16 points, connecting on 5 of 6 attempts from 3-point range, and Dylan Andrews registered 12 points. Both Stefanovic and Andrews dished out six assists each against Arizona State (14-17, 8-12 Pac-12).
"We started the game down nine," said Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men's Head Basketball Coach. "I told you this when you asked me the problem, who is responsible, it's me. They are good kids. I'm trying to get stuff out of guys that they are probably not ready to give me yet, which is hard. It's not their fault. It hasn't been their effort and it hasn't been their issue, it's their inexperience. We don't have the junior or senior anchor."
UCLA trailed, 43-34, with 9:30 to play in regulation before outscoring the visiting Sun Devils by a 25-4 margin over the final 9:15. A 3-pointer by Sebastian Mack at the 9:15 mark helped jump-start the Bruins' offense, as UCLA used an 18-1 scoring run over the next six-plus minutes.
The Bruins' late scoring spree included three consecutive 3-pointers from Stefanovic (at 7:24), Andrews (at 5:44) and Mack (at 4:58). After drawing a foul with 3:45 remaining, Bona knocked down a pair of free throws to give UCLA a 50-44 cushion.
UCLA's cushion never fell to any fewer than five points over the game's final four minutes.
Arizona State led by a 31-27 margin at halftime, as the Sun Devils overcame an early 23-13 deficit against UCLA midway through the first half. The Bruins trailed Arizona State, 13-5, just four minutes into the contest before using an 18-0 scoring run to lead, 23-13.
ASU's Adam Miller led the Sun Devils with 13 points, while Jaimya Neal finished with 12 points and Frankie Collins totaled 10 points.
UCLA has secured the No. 5 seed in the Pac-12 Tournament, set to begin on Wednesday, March 13, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The Bruins will take on No. 12-seed Oregon State in a first-round matchup on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. (PT). The winner of that contest will face No. 4-seed Oregon on Thursday, March 14.
UCLA's game on Wednesday afternoon will be televised by the Pac-12 Network.
The top four teams in the Pac-12 standings have earned a first-round bye in next week's league tournament – No. 1 Arizona, No. 2 Washington State, No. 3 Colorado and No. 4 Oregon.
