With UFC announcer Bruce Buffer hyping up the Sun Devil crowd, ASU defeated UCLA 84-66 on Thursday thanks in part to a three-point barrage in the first half and a scoring bonanza in the second.
Junior guard Alonzo Verge Jr. exploded off the bench for a game-high 26 points, shooting 10-16 from the field and 3-3 from beyond the arc.
"I was just consistent with it today," Verge said. "Making my shots opened up me attacking the basket and just opened up my whole game."
Redshirt junior forward Romello White and redshirt senior guard Rob Edwards shined with eight and 13 points respectively, with White grabbing a team-high 16 rebounds and Edwards making three triples.
Junior guard Remy Martin had 15 points to go with seven assists.
"Just top to bottom, I think, both ends of the floor, it was probably one of our more complete games this year," head coach Bobby Hurley said.
Both Martin and Verge sparked ASU's strong second half scoring run that gave the Sun Devils (14-8, 5-4) an 18-point lead less than eight minutes into the second frame.
"Verge probably had his best offensive game of the season," Hurley said.
Held to just two points in the first half, Verge made all but three of his field goal attempts in the second.
Verge sent Desert Financial Arena into a frenzy during a stretch roughly twelve minutes into the second period. Verge faked a behind-the-back pass and then converted it into a layup through traffic.
After UCLA (12-11, 5-5) scored on their next two possessions, Verge scored another quick layup. On the ensuing Bruin possession, Verge snatched the ball for another layup completing a 6-point stretch for the guard.
Verge described his laser-focused mindset during his scoring frenzy in postgame interviews.
"I was just locked in. I stayed in the moment," Verge said. "I was worried about the next task. If I made the layup, I was worried about getting back on defense. I knew that I was in a rhythm, but I was just having fun. That's all."
In the first half, the Sun Devils made eight three-pointers on 10 attempts to jump out to a 39-28 halftime lead over the Bruins.
White crashed the boards for nine rebounds while Lawrence and Thomas made six combined threes, tipping the scales in ASU's favor in the first half, and the Sun Devils never looked back.
ASU looks to stay above .500 in conference play as they take on USC (17-6, 6-4) at home on Saturday at 8 p.m. MST.
Reach the reporter at cvanligt@asu.edu and follow @Connor_VL on Twitter.
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