No. 4-ranked UCLA shook off a sluggish start to remain perfect at home, overwhelming Arizona State on the defensive end en route to a 79–61 win Thursday, March 2, in Los Angeles.
The Bruins (26–4, 17–2 Pac-12 Conference) won their ninth straight overall and improved to 16–0 at home—one win away from closing out a perfect season at Pauley Pavilion—thanks to a dominant second half.
UCLA was outscored 12–2 in the opening 4:38, but whittled away at the deficit throughout the rest of the first half.
After pulling ahead 36–32 at the break thanks to Tyger Campbell’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer, the Bruins inundated Arizona State out of the locker room with runs of 14–5 and 16–5….