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ASU women's basketball squanders early lead in 70-61 loss to No. 8 UCLA

The loss marked the third time the Sun Devils allowed 70 points or more

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ASU junior forward Iris Mbulito (23) goes up against UCLA sophomore guard Charisma Osborne (20) in the first half on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020, at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe. The Bruins defeated the Sun Devils 70-61.


Charli Turner Thorne took her time to arrive at the postgame presser after her Sun Devils fell 70-61 to No. 8 UCLA in Tempe on Sunday. 

When the ASU women’s basketball head coach is late to the podium, it’s usually because she isn’t happy about her team’s performance, and she was more than just upset.

“I don’t think I’ve ever coached a team that’s given up so many open shots in a season,” Turner Thorne said. “We just have a lot of break downs with this group that we don’t normally have.”

The veteran head coach, who picked up her 500th career win on Friday, had a point. 

UCLA (19-2, 8-2 Pac-12), despite just shooting 39% from the floor, consistently found open looks from three-point range and capitalized on second-chance opportunities. 

The Bruins' 70-point performance was only the third time all year the Sun Devils (16-6, 6-4) gave up at least that many points in a game.

“It’s not our philosophy to hope you miss,” Turner Thorne said. 

On the contrary, the Sun Devils performed well on the offensive end. Despite shooting just 38% from the floor, senior guard Robbi Ryan, senior forward Jamie Ruden and senior guard Reili Richardson all scored in double digits. 

Despite the balanced scoring effort, Ryan said it took time for the team to find its offensive groove.

“We weren’t as aggressive as we were in the first half,” Ryan said. “We weren’t as poised, and we turned over the ball too much.”

But it was a lack of defensive pressure, a wide variety of open looks and UCLA’s consistent dribble penetration that foiled ASU's defense and led to the team's demise.

“We try to take accountability for everything that happens,” Ruden said.

Turner Thorne pointed to a time before tipoff that signaled the lack of energy on the defensive end throughout the game.

“We didn’t have it today,” Turner Thorne said. “I had to yell at them in the middle of pregame warmups. That’s not okay.”

ASU will take on Oregon State next in Corvallis on Feb. 7 at 9 p.m. MST.


Reach the reporter at kbriley@asu.edu and on Twitter @KokiRiley.

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