Arizona State looks to build on the momentum of a memorable comeback victory when it faces former Pac-12 conference partner UCLA on Wednesday night in Los Angeles.
The Sun Devils rallied from a 17-point halftime deficit to earn an 82-79 victory over Santa Clara on Saturday night in Las Vegas. It is the greatest halftime comeback in school history, set in a 71-69 victory over Stanford on February 12, 1994.
The big rally came after Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley was ejected in the final seconds of the first half. Assistant coach Nick Irvin led the team in the second half.
“The first half spoke for itself. We were dominated and pushed around and it was very frustrating,” Hurley said afterwards. “At the end of the half we felt like a few calls were going against us. It was the end of the day for me, but it was time for everyone else to step up.”
“The guys really came together. There were some tough conversations at halftime with our entire coaching staff. Really proud of the way we fought to get back in the game.”
Anthony “Pig” Johnson scored 14 of his 15 points in the second half to lead the charge. Massamba Diop added 15 points and nine rebounds for Arizona State.
The Sun Devils (9-2) own a three-game winning streak heading into the contest against the Bruins, a tough opponent at the end of both programs’ Pac-12 tenures.
UCLA has won the last five meetings and eight of the last nine.
The Bruins (7-3) have just suffered an 82-72 defeat against the number 1 at the time. 8 Gonzaga Saturday at Seattle.
UCLA led 54-53 after Donovan Dent’s basket with 14:34 left before the Bulldogs outscored the Bruins by 11 the rest of the game.
“We just couldn’t get the job done defensively,” Bruins coach Mick Cronin said. “We tried zone, man, double, triple in the post. You name it, we couldn’t get the job done.”
Tyler Bilodeau scored a season-high 24 points, bringing his team’s best average to 16.6 points per game.
“We knew it was going to be a points game,” Bilodeau said. “Every tough game will be like this. We just have to stay together, keep our confidence and keep fighting.”
UCLA point guard Donovan Dent recorded 12 points and 10 assists against Gonzaga for his first double-double of the season. He is averaging 12.0 points and a team-high 6.8 assists per game.
Arizona State senior guard Maurice Odum leads his team in scoring (16.7), assists (6.0), 3-point field goals (32) and steals (19).
–Field level media
