The No. 5 ASU women's basketball team lost 73-69 to UCLA on Friday, committing seven turnovers in the fourth quarter and stalling any momentum the team had to beat the No. 4 Bruins in the second round of the Pac-12 tournament.
Senior forward Kianna Ibis scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds in the loss.
Senior forward Sophia Elenga came off the bench and scored 11 points and grabbed five rebounds.
Bruins senior guard Japreece Dean was nothing short of sensational throughout the game, scoring 24 points on 9-for-20 shooting from the field and dishing out seven assists too. She played virtually all 40 minutes of the game.
Sophomore forward Michaela Onyenwere scored 20 points shooting 7-for-8 from the field.
The Bruins overtook the Sun Devils quickly, at one point leading 20-8 in the first quarter. UCLA constantly drove the ball into the paint and either scored or got to the free-throw line.
ASU battled back, scoring nine free throws of its own in the second quarter and bringing the deficit to single digits at a point before ending the half 31-41.
The Sun Devils then came out hot in the second half, shooting 12-17 in the third quarter and outscored UCLA to 25-16.
However, the Sun Devils were unable to take care of the ball in the final frame. ASU committed seven turnovers while only shooting 10 attempts from the field in the fourth quarter.
"We are not a team that turns the ball over," coach Charli Turner Thorne said. "It's just very uncharacteristic of us today."
The Sun Devils also committed 18 fouls, leading to 27 attempted free throws from the Bruins.
"We were just not a disciplined team that we normally are," Turner Thorne said.
Turner Thorne and her players said the team's undisciplined play led to both the turnovers and the fouls.
"Maybe I was just not really focused and ready most of the time and just a little undisciplined," Ibis said when asked about her early foul trouble.
ASU will now wait to see where they will be seeded in the NCAA Tournament. The selection show will air Monday, March 18 at 5 p.m. MST on ESPN.
Reach the reporter at jhorst2@asu.edu and follow @HorseySeven on Twitter.
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Jeffrey Horst is the digital editor-in-chief of The State Press. He previously served as the publication's sports editor and worked at Cronkite News and ArizonaSports.com.
