Arizona St. downs UCLA with 3s

Alozo Verge Jr. scored 26 points, Remy Martin added 15 and Arizona State made 14 3-pointers in an 84-66 win over UCLA. Arizona State (14-8, 5-4 Pac-12) entered the game as the Pac-12’s worst 3-point shooting team, hitting 30% from the arc. The Sun Devils found the range against UCLA, shooting the Bruins out of the gym by making 14 of 24 from 3.

TEMPE, Ariz. — Alozo Verge Jr. scored 26 points, Remy Martin added 15 and Arizona State made 14 3-pointers in an 84-66 win over UCLA on Thursday night.

Arizona State (14-8, 5-4 Pac-12) entered the game as the Pac-12’s worst 3-point shooting team, hitting 30% from the arc.

The Sun Devils found the range against UCLA, shooting the Bruins out of the gym by making 14 of 24 from 3. Verge, Kimani Lawrence and Khalid Thomas all went 3 for 3 from the arc.

Martin was the cog making Arizona State’s offense click, finishing with seven assists. White had 16 rebounds and was effective at kicking out of double teams to set up Sun Devils’ shooters.

UCLA (12-11, 5-5) labored without top rebounder and second-leading scorer Jalen Hill, who sprained his right knee in practice this week.

The Bruins couldn’t stop Sun Devils from the perimeter and couldn’t get their shots to fall, either, finishing 7 of 25 from the 3-point arc.

Cody Riley had 16 points and Tyger Campbell 13 to lead UCLA.

The Bruins and Sun Devils have been inconsistent this season, but playing better lately to stay in the thick of the Pac-12 race.

UCLA arrived in the desert with four wins in five games, including a fourpoint win over then-No. 20 Colorado.

The Sun Devils rallied from 22 points down to beat rival Arizona and entered Thursday’s game with three wins in four games.

UFC ring announcer Bruce Buffer was on-hand to introduce the Sun Devils and it seemed to hype both team, who combined to hit nine of 14 shots by the first media timeouts.

The Sun Devils kept making shots. The Bruins did not.

Arizona State made 8 of 10 from the 3-point arc, using runs of 10-2 and 11-1 to lead 39-28 at halftime.

The Sun Devils stretched the lead to 16 in the opening five minutes of the second half and kept making 3s to give the Bruins no shot at the comeback.

BIG PICTURE

UCLA’s run of quality games ended with a clunker in the desert.

Associated Press HANDS UP UCLA’s Tyger Campbell (10) looks to pass as Arizona State’s Remy Martin (1) defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game on Thursday in Tempe, Arizona.