LOS ANGELES – The looks on their faces said it all.

With 35 seconds left, UA’s big three exited the court with drooped heads.

They were on the verge of a 68-56 defeat at the hands of archrival ASU, but the loss might mean much more.

Their expressions bared the possible burden of 24 straight NCAA Tournament appearances coming to a screeching halt.

Yes, Thursday’s defeat at the Staples Center might have been enough to keep Chase Budinger, Jordan Hill and Nic Wise out of the Big Dance.

For ASU senior forward Jeff Pendergraph, the feeling was much different. For the first time in his career, he won’t be making a first-round exit out of the Pac-10 Tournament.

“Feels good to know you’re getting on the bus to go back to the hotel and rest not to go home,” Pendergraph said. “To send someone else home for a change – it’s a nice feeling.”

With about five and half minutes left in the game, the Sun Devils put an exclamation mark on a stellar second half.

Junior center Eric Boateng swatted a Wise layup attempt before ASU sophomore guard James Harden threw down a vintage left-handed slam at the other end. The bucket gave the Sun Devils a 60-48 advantage and a huge boost of energy.

Boateng was jumping around near the UA free throw line, while ASU junior guard Derek Glasser let out a menacing scream nearby. It was a stark contrast to the UA bench in the closing moments of the game.

“It is just out of our hands,” UA coach Russ Pennell said of his team’s tourney chances. “We’ll be just like everyone else sitting there watching on Sunday. We hope for the best.”

The game started out with a very entertaining first half that ended in a 34-32 UA advantage.

No. 23 ASU (23-8, 11-7 Pac-10) jumped out to an 18-11 lead but the Wildcats responded with a quick 11-0 run. It was capped off with a ridiculous Hill slam over ASU sophomore guard Ty Abbott to put his team up 22-18.

Boateng finally ended the run by beating Wise down floor on a fast break and laying it in.

The Sun Devils started off the second half by hitting two quick 3-pointers. They went on a 10-3 run in the first three minutes after the break to take a 42-37 lead.

The teams traded buckets over the next few minutes before ASU suffered a terrible sequence on the defensive glass. UA (19-13, 9-9) recorded five straight offensive boards before Budinger nailed a 3-pointer.

“That was tough,” Pendergraph said. “Four of them were [Hill’s]. I was trying to box him out the whole time, but the ball seemed like it just bounced in his hand.”

ASU sophomore forward Rihards Kuksiks answered with a three of his own, though, before the deciding Harden dunk.

With the victory, Harden went a perfect 5-0 in his career against UA, assuming he leaves for the NBA.

He scored a game-high 27 points despite going 1-of-7 from behind the arc and pulled down eight boards.

Abbott played a great game, nailing three trifectas en route to scoring 11 points to go along with his six rebounds. His effort was magnified with the absence of sophomore guard Jamelle McMillan who was held out because of a groin injury.

“Ty really stepped up today,” ASU coach Herb Sendek said. “We were decimated in [rebounding] today and I shudder to think where we would be without Ty’s help. It could have even been uglier for us on the glass.”

The Wildcats outrebounded ASU by a 36-to-30 margin and pulled down 16 offensive boards. UA struggled from the field in the second half, though, shooting just 25.7 percent.

ASU, meanwhile, was very consistent from the field, shooting 52.1 percent for the game.

Reach the reporter at alex.espinoza@asu.edu.