TEMPE, Ariz. “”mdash; UCLA is doing everything in its power to turn the game over to Arizona State.
The Bruins turned the ball over nine times in the first half but the Sun Devils didn’t capitalize, giving the Bruins a 32-19 lead at halftime.
Ben Howland opted to go with a smaller starting lineup to match ASU’s speedy, four-guard lineup. Junior Jerime Anderson was inserted into the starting lineup in place of redshirt freshman Anthony Stover.
Arizona State’s signature, swarming zone defense seemed impenetrable at first for UCLA but a combination of strong post play and careful passing helped the Bruins to take a 13 point lead into the locker room.
Junior guard Lazeric Jones scored 11 points after being held scoreless Thursday night against Arizona. Jones poured in nine consecutive points in a minute’s time late in the first half.
Sophomore forward Tyler Honeycutt was battling flu-like symptoms before the game but managed four points and six rebounds in fifteen minutes.
The Sun Devils played their lowest scoring first half of the season, shooting just 20 percent.