Going into Wednesday, Dec. 17, night's game against UCLA, the Sun Devils shot lights out from behind the arc, hitting 39.2% of their 3-pointers on the season.

However, the team's shooting faltered against the Bruins, starting 0-10, before eventually finishing 4-26 on the night.

After a night of lackluster shooting, ASU (9-3) dropped its third game of the season, losing 90-77 to UCLA (8-3, 2-0 Big Ten) inside the legendary college basketball landmark of Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles. This matchup is nothing new for either side, as the former Pac-12 opponents have faced off against each other 94 times, with the Bruins leading the all-time series 70-24.

On the other side of the court, UCLA was quite the inverse, shooting an absurd 53.8% from downtown on 26 attempts. Senior guard Skyy Clark led the Bruins’ 3-point barrage, hitting six from beyond the arc on 10 attempts en route to an 18-point performance, along with five assists and five rebounds.

Clark's effort was aided by the Bruins' leading scorer on the night, senior guard Donovan Dent, who, despite averaging 12.8 points per game, contributed 20 points to the team's success.

Despite being in foul trouble, playing with three fouls since late in the first half, senior guard Anthony “Pig” Johnson gave the Sun Devils life in the second half, leading the team in scoring with 20 points as well as grabbing four rebounds.

Early in the first half, ASU struggled to get to the free-throw line, only earning nine foul shots, which is an unusual mark for the team, as the Sun Devils rank 33rd in the nation in getting to the line. 

Johnson, however, had something to say about that, getting to the stripe 13 times throughout the second period, hitting all of them.

Despite their poor shooting from beyond the arc, the Sun Devils were otherworldly from the charity stripe Wednesday night, hitting 25 straight free throws before senior guard Moe Odum missed with little over a minute remaining in the game. 

Odum, ASU’s leading scorer, had a well below average game for his standards, only scoring 10 points, shooting an abysmal 3-12 from the field, including missing the seven threes he attempted, along with being the only player on the team to miss a free throw. 

Regardless of the poor shooting, Odum made his impact felt as a playmaker, dishing out nine assists on the night while only turning the ball over twice. 

Another common theme of the Sun Devils' night was foul trouble, as three players finished the game with three or more fouls, with many of them coming early in the game. 

Freshman center Massamba Diop persevered through his four fouls, scoring an efficient 15 points while making his presence felt on the glass, grabbing seven rebounds, with two being offensive. 

While ASU inevitably lost by 13, there was one point in the second half where the squad, fueled by Johnson's unreal driving and foul-drawing ability, cut the lead to just five points and were threatening UCLA’s lead several times.

However, every time the Sun Devils managed to pull close, the Bruins responded with a flurry of 3-pointers, burying ASU’s chances of winning. 

The Sun Devils get one more tune-up game ahead of Big 12 play on Sunday, Dec. 21, at 1 p.m. against Oregon State inside the friendly confines of Desert Financial Arena.

Despite the loss, ASU can hold its head high knowing it surpassed expectations throughout its non-conference schedule, often playing up to its competition in big games regardless of the result.