ASU Women’s Basketball: Sun Devils fall short after giving scare to No. 5 UCLA 60-57

(Photo: Misha Jones/WCSN)

In its first game of the season at full strength, the Sun Devil Women’s Basketball team (8-5, 4-5 Pac-12) gave No. 5 UCLA (10-2, 8-2 Pac-12) a scare, but ultimately fell to the Bruins 60-57 in Westwood Friday night.

Arizona State ran its sixth different lineup this season, with three freshmen starting.

Head coach Charli Turner Thorne utilized the young roster’s depth after getting back Iris Mbulito, Katelyn Levings, and Maggie Besselink this week from COVID-19 protocols. The Sun Devil bench put up 28 points and 11 players saw time on the court.

“It is definitely a bit of a confidence booster, but we’re not satisfied at all,” junior guard Taya Hanson said. “We wanted to win today, no matter what the number is beside their name. We’re going to come to fight with full strength now. It’s nice to have a full roster of everyone healthy and ready to pour it out on the court.”

The Sun Devils got off to a slow start with a stretch of over 12 minutes across the first two quarters that saw them without any points from the field. Junior guard Gabriela Bosquez broke the drought in the second quarter with a quick pair of three-pointers and a layup, getting the Sun Devil bench to its feet and kicking off a swing in momentum.

“Gabby was the reason we got back in the game,” freshman guard Jaddan Simmons said. “I know for myself personally, I wasn’t doing the best. So for Gabby to come in and step up, that was great, she got our momentum going, got everyone hyped up. I looked at her stats and she was 100%.”

The Sun Devils trailed UCLA by as many as 18 points in the second quarter in large part due to 15 first-half turnovers.

“We know we’re gonna have turnovers,” Turner Thorne said. “We know we’re not gonna make every shot. But we go in, and the whole first quarter we didn’t play defense…I think the first step is awareness. They’re very aware that they’re not doing the things they’re capable of doing on offense and defense.”

Arizona State is no stranger to comebacks and displayed its tenacity in the third quarter as Hanson hit a three-pointer to spark a fire that led to a 13-0 Sun Devil run to tie the game going into the final quarter.

“Honestly, I do think that had to be one of the best stretches we’ve had all season,” Simmons said. “I mean, we were just playing as a team. We were getting stops which is what brought us back from that deficit.”

UCLA held a three-point lead with 15 seconds on the clock after a free throw by Bruins forward Emily Bessoir. The Sun Devils would have the final possession with a chance to send the game into overtime, but a deep three-pointer from Hanson couldn’t find the net, giving UCLA its 11th consecutive win over ASU.

Bruins guard Charisma Osborne put up 27 points, her fifth straight 20+ point game. The Pac-12 Player of the Week scored three straight baskets from behind the arc and 13 of UCLA’s first 14 points in the fourth quarter before exiting the game for several minutes with an injury.

“Letting Osborne have three three’s, I mean our whole game plan was not letting her shoot anything,” Turner Thorne said. “We had to run her off the line and make her shoot layups. We’ve just gotta be tougher, and stay locked into what we’re trying to do.”

Hanson led the Sun Devils with 12 points after a scoreless first half.

The Sun Devils will continue their Los Angeles road trip on Sunday when they take on the USC Trojans (6-7, 4-6 Pac-12). Tip-off is at 2 p.m. MST and can be viewed via USC Live Stream.