This article was originally published on March 1, 2023.
The Arizona State Sun Devils (8-20, 1-17 Pac-12) used an incredible second half to force overtime against the UCLA Bruins (23-8, 11-7 Pac-12), but it wasn’t enough, falling short 81-70 in the overtime loss.
The Sun Devils and Bruins squared off in game one of the 2023 Pac-12 Women’s Basketball Tournament in Las Vegas and entertained fans with 45 minutes of exciting basketball. UCLA dominated in the first half, but Arizona State overcame the deficit and nearly completed the improbable upset.
The Bruins led 39-25 at halftime, in large part because of their offensive rebounding and ball movement. In the first half, UCLA grabbed 10 offensive rebounds to the ASU’s four. The Bruins also had 10 assists to the Sun Devils’ one.
UCLA also shot efficiently on three-point attempts in the first half, hitting five of 10. Emily Bessoir led the Bruins in the opening 20 minutes, shooting three of four from behind the arc and securing seven rebounds.
For ASU, junior guard Tyi Skinner led Arizona State with 11 points and picked up the Sun Devils only assist and made 3-pointer of the half.
In the third quarter, the momentum started to shift in favor of the Sun Devils. They shot efficiently from the field, going 9-of-19 and forcing five UCLA turnovers. Freshman guard Trayanna Crisp made a big contribution, scoring five points and grabbing two rebounds.
UCLA held a 56-46 lead to start the fourth quarter, but ASU slowly came back. The Sun Devils stepped it up defensively and the Bruins struggled mightily from the field.
UCLA scored first in the fourth quarter with a jumper from graduate guard Gina Conti, extending its lead to 12. That would be one of only two field goals that the Bruins would make in the quarter.
The Sun Devils then went on a 9-0 run, which included a pair of three-pointers by Skinner, to make it a 58-55 Bruins lead. The teams went back to forth until Skinner buried another three-pointer to give Arizona State its first lead of the game, 62-60, with three minutes to play in regulation.
UCLA scored the only other points in regulation with a layup to tie the game at 62. Arizona State had an opportunity to win it in regulation off an inbound play with 11 seconds to go, but junior guard Jaddan Simmons had her layup blocked as time expired.
UCLA dominated the overtime period. Both teams got to the free-throw line often, but the Bruins shot a perfect 5-of-5 from the field, including 2-of-2 from three. ASU shot 1-of-7, with six of its eight points coming from free throws.
Despite the loss, Skinner and Simmons finished with fantastic performances. Skinner led the team in scoring with 26 points while Simmons finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds. On the other hand, junior guard Treasure Hunt struggled, shooting 0-of-9 from field but grabbing seven rebounds.
Arizona State seniors Kayla Mokwuah and Isadora Sousa finished their senior seasons with solid performances. Mokwuah scored six points with five rebounds while Sousa had four points, four assists, and five rebounds.
ASU coach Natasha Adair’s first season with the Sun Devils ends disappointingly, with their only win against a Pac-12 opponent coming against Oregon State on Feb. 23.
The Bruins will face the Arizona Wildcats on Thursday while the Sun Devils will look toward next season to improve.
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