Bruins Outlast Sun Devils in Overtime, 81-75

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TEMPE, Ariz. – Behind a career-high 22 points from Cody Riley and a solid shooting effort in the second half and beyond, the UCLA men's basketball team notched an 81-75 overtime win over Arizona State on Thursday night at Desert Financial Arena.

Riley also grabbed a season-high 13 rebounds for UCLA (8-2, 4-0 Pac-12), as he registered his third double-double of the season.
 
UCLA moved to 4-0 in Pac-12 play for the first time since 2012-13, when the Bruins opened their league schedule with a 5-0 mark.
 
Arizona State (4-4, 1-1 Pac-12) received a game-high 25 points from Alonzo Verge Jr., who made 8 of 22 shots from the field and 7 of 8 free throw attempts. Josh Christopher scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the host Sun Devils. 

Verge Jr. made a pair of free throws with ASU trailing, 65-63, with 5.8 seconds to play in the second half, tying the game at 65-65.
 
UCLA took over in the five-minute overtime session, assuming control early and outscoring the Sun Devils by a 16-10 margin. Riley scored eight of the Bruins' 16 points in overtime. David Singleton, who finished with 14 points on Thursday night, scored six points in the overtime period.
 
Singleton helped the Bruins get ahead in overtime, hitting a pair of key 3-pointers to help establish the lead. His first triple erased ASU's early overtime advantage and gave the Bruins the lead for good, at 68-67.
 
Singleton followed with another 3-point basket at the 3:13 mark, stretching UCLA's lead to six points. Riley powered through a double team and scored on a left-handed layup on UCLA's next offensive possession, pushing UCLA's advantage to a game-high eight points.
 
Singleton (14 points) was the only other Bruin to finish in double figures. UCLA had seven players who scored at least eight points. Jules Bernard had nine points and a career-best 10 rebounds, finishing just one point shy of his first collegiate double-double.

Coach Cronin Postgame (Video) | Riley and Singleton Postgame (Video)
 
The game's first two halves involved a back-and-forth tussle. In all, the game featured 19 lead changes and six ties.
 
UCLA led for the majority of the second half, holding ASU at arm's length until the final minute of regulation. Nursing a 3-point lead with 2:41 remaining, the Bruins scored just one point over the remainder of regulation while the Sun Devils scored four desperation points late to send the game to overtime, tying the game with five seconds remaining on a pair of Alonzo Verge Jr. free throw makes. It was the first time that Arizona State had tied the game or secured a lead since the 9:39 mark in the second half.

Sophomore guard Johnny Juzang was UCLA's most productive scorer in the second half, recording a team-high nine points.
 
Back-to-back threes early on in the second half from Juzang and Bernard helped the Bruins overcome a halftime deficit and take a 36-34 lead at the 17:45 mark. The two teams would go back-and-forth for the next nine minutes or so until a Singleton trey from the left wing with 8:05 remaining put the Bruins up by four, their first multi-possession lead of the second half.
 
Riley led the team in both scoring (8 points) and rebounding (7 boards) in the first half. After a 6-2 run out of the gate by ASU, UCLA reeled off 12 consecutive points to take a 14-6 lead. ASU ultimately went into the locker room with a 30-28 edge at halftime thanks in part to 10 points from Josh Christopher.
 
UCLA shot over 50 percent from the floor in both the second half and overtime, including a 66.7 percent clip in the extra session. The Bruins finished with a 45.3 shooting percentage.
 
The Bruins return to action at Arizona on Saturday, Jan. 9. Game time is set for 6 p.m. PT (7 p.m. MT). UCLA's game at the McKale Center will be televised on ESPN. The radio broadcast is available on AM 570.