UCLA women's basketball defeated Arizona State in dramatic fashion in the game's final moments.
TEMPE, Ariz. – Senior Japreece Dean drilled the game-winning 3-pointer with nine seconds remaining, and sophomore Lauryn Miller exploded for a career-high 17 points off the bench to propel UCLA to a thrilling 61-59 win over No. 16 Arizona State on Friday afternoon at Wells Fargo Arena.
UCLA, which won its sixth straight against Arizona State, trailed by four with less than two minutes remaining before rallying to victory..@japreece24 FOR THE WIN!!! #BruWins #Clutch pic.twitter.com/oqWACClf1O
— UCLA W. Basketball (@UCLAWBB) January 25, 2019
.@laurynmiller__ is a perfect 3-for-3 and has 6 points in the opening frame! pic.twitter.com/LgtRWgajSl
— UCLA W. Basketball (@UCLAWBB) January 25, 2019
Dean finished with 14 points, five rebounds and four dimes, while Miller went 8-for-11 from the field in 18 minutes of play to go along with five rebounds.
Sophomore Michaela Onyenwere added 11 points, and senior Lajahna Drummer just missed a double-double with eight points and 11 rebounds.
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The Storyline
UCLA's defense set the tone in the first quarter, holding Arizona State scoreless for the first 2:35 and forcing the Sun Devils to start 3-for-10 from the field. Miller gave the Bruins a spark off the bench in the first quarter, scoring six of UCLA's 12 points.
Miller continued her offensive tear in the second frame, moving into double figures with a put-back to knot the game at 22 apiece, but Arizona State closed the first half with a 9-4 spurt to go up five.
The Bruins scored 20 of their 26 first-half points in the paint, had eight second chance points and forced seven Sun Devil turnovers in the opening 20 minutes.
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UCLA came out of the locker room on fire, scoring nine of the first 11 points to take a 35-33 lead after a layup by redshirt freshman Lindsey Corsaro. The third quarter was back and fourth, as it featured five ties and two lead changes and produced a 44-all tie entering the fourth frame.
Despite falling behind 48-44 in the final stanza, UCLA clawed its way back, getting consecutive baskets from Dean to tie it. Miller notched the and-one to give the Bruins a 51-50 advantage at the 5:33 mark, but the Sun Devils scored four straight to go back in front.
Dean's long two cut the gap to 57-55, and UCLA got a stop on its next possession with one minute left to go. Onyenwere swooshed a 3-pointer on the left wing to put the Bruins on top briefly before Arizona State fired back 14 seconds later with a layup.
.@_itsmichaela FOR THE LEAD!!! pic.twitter.com/U9LWRgz54y
— UCLA W. Basketball (@UCLAWBB) January 25, 2019
Following a Bruin timeout, Dean received the ball near the right wing. The Texas native then dribbled near the top of the key, side-stepped the taller Arizona State defender and canned the game-winning 3-pointer.
