Jaquez Jr. scores 26 as No. 4 UCLA beats Arizona State
LOS ANGELES – Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 26 points as fourth-ranked UCLA pulled away in the second half to defeat Arizona State 79-61 Thursday night.
Tyger Campbell added 16 points and Jaylen Clark 15 for the regular-season Pac12 champion Bruins (26-4, 17-2), who have won nine straight as they continue their bid for a top seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.
DJ Horne had 13 points and Warren Washington added 12 for the Sun Devils (20-10, 11-8).
Jaquez scored 15 of UCLA’S first 19 points. He started 6 of 8 from the field while the rest of the team was 1 for 11.
The Bruins led 38-34 less than a minute into the second half before they broke things open with a 12-3 run that included five points by Campbell and four from Clark.
UCLA, at one point, extended its lead to 20 (73-53) with four minutes remaining.
UCLA trailed for much of the first half as Arizona State jumped out to a 12-2 lead. The Bruins missed eight of their first nine shots and also had seven turnovers during the game’s first seven minutes.
The Bruins slowly worked their way back and went on an 11-4 run the last 2:25 of the first half to take a 36-32 lead at halftime, including 19 points from Jaquez.
BIG PICTURE
Arizona State: The Sun Devils were unable to ride the momentum of last Saturday’s win at No. 7 Arizona when Desmond Cambridge Jr. made a halfcourt shot at the buzzer. They will need some help if they hope to secure a top-four seed and first-round bye in the conference tournament.
UCLA: Coach Mick Cronin was worried if his team would let down its guard mentally after clinching the regular-season title last Sunday. For most of the first half it looked as if his fears were going to be realized, until his team was able to shake off a slow start.
UP NEXT
Arizona State: Remain in Los Angeles to face Southern California on Saturday.
UCLA: Hosts No. 8 Arizona on Saturday.