Women's basketball drops second straight home game
Markel Walker had 15 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and three steals as UCLA defeated Arizona State 64-48, Jan. 7, in Pac-12 play.
Playing the last 30 minutes with just seven players, the Bruins (7-8, 2-2 Pac-12) got 22 points from Thea Lemberger and 16 points and eight rebounds from Rebekah Gardner in winning just their second game in the last eight. The win also gave Arizona State (10-4, 1-2) consecutive losses for the first time this season.
Kali Bennett led the Sun Devils with 15 points, but only five of those came in the second half.
UCLA started the second half on a 16-7 run to open up a 44-32 lead with 12:28 left and Arizona State never got closer than 10 the rest of the way.
UCLA earned a split in their trip to Arizona after losing to the Wildcats 74-66 on Thursday.
The Bruins have beaten the Sun Devils five straight times and handed Arizona State just its third loss in nine games.
The Sun Devils made just 26 percent from the field after the first six minutes.
The Sun Devils got out to a fast start, making seven of their first nine shots and took a 15-10 lead in the first six minutes. But UCLA used a zone defense and improved rebounding to rally. Gardner hit a 3-pointer and a layup to cap a 7-0 run and finished the half with 11 points to help the Bruins take a 28-25 lead at the break.
In the second half, Walker scored five straight points on a 3-point play and layup to give UCLA a 35-27 lead three minutes into half. But Walker and Gardner hit back-to-back 3-pointers to break it open, the second giving the Bruins a 12-point lead with 12:28 left.