UCLA
8-10,3-4Pac-12
Arizona State
10-7,4-2Pac-12
Men's Basketball Posts Comeback Win at Arizona State, 68-66
January 17, 2024 | Men's Basketball
TEMPE, Ariz. – The UCLA men's basketball team erased a 15-point deficit in the second half on Wednesday night, securing a 68-66 win at Arizona State in a Pac-12 game at Desert Financial Arena.
Lazar Stefanovic scored a team-leading 18 points for the Bruins (8-10, 3-4 Pac-12). He connected on 3-of-7 shots from 3-point distance and grabbed six rebounds. UCLA's Adem Bona finished with nine points and six rebounds and totaled career-highs in both blocks (seven) and assists (five).
UCLA used a 14-0 run midway through the second half to secure its first lead. Both teams led in the game's final four minutes. The Bruins were trailing by one point, 62-61, when Sebastian Mack drove to the hoop and scored to put UCLA on top, 63-62, at the 1:12 mark. Mack then stripped the ball from Arizona State's Adam Miller on the game's next possession. He took the loose ball the length of the court, finished through contact, and helped the Bruins secure a 66-63 advantage with just 51 seconds to play.
Miller made a pair of free throws on Arizona State's ensuing possession, closing the gap to 66-65 in UCLA's favor. Will McClendon drew a foul in the final six seconds, made both free throws and the Bruins held on for the two-point victory.
Stefanovic (18 points), Brandon Williams (13 points) and Mack (11 points) all scored in double figures for the Bruins. Mack's 11 points all came in the second half. The freshman from Chicago, Ill., finished the game 3-for-8 shooting from the field and 5-for-8 at the free throw line.
With under four minutes to play and the score tied, 60-60, Mack drove to the basket at the 2:42 mark and drew a foul. After the play, Arizona State's Bryant Selebangue was issued a technical foul. UCLA made two of its ensuing four foul shots and built a 62-60 lead.
Wednesday night's turning point for UCLA took place midway through the second half, with the Bruins down 49-43. Stefanovic drove to the hoop and was fouled in the process, sending him to the free throw line. In a sequence after the play, ASU's Shawn Phillips Jr. drew a pair of technical fouls (roughly one minute apart from each other). Stefanovic converted all four free throw attempts, before McClendon sank a 3-point basket to put UCLA ahead, 50-49, at the 10:08 mark. That marked UCLA's first lead of the game.
Both teams traded baskets for the next seven minutes, with neither squad taking more than a four-point lead.
Bona finished with a career-high seven blocks on Wednesday, becoming UCLA's first player with at least seven blocks in one game since Moses Brown totaled eight blocks against Saint Francis (Pennsylvania) on Nov. 16, 2018.
UCLA trailed at halftime, 36-23, and never led in the first half.
Williams scored six quick points early in the contest before finishing with a season-high 13 points. The freshman from Queens, N.Y., nailed his second 3-pointer of the season early on, cutting ASU's lead to 14-12 with approximately 10 minutes left in the opening half.
UCLA continues its road trip at the University of Arizona this Saturday afternoon. Game time at Arizona's McKale Center is set for 1 p.m. PT (2 p.m. MT in Tucson). UCLA's game will be televised on ESPN2.
