Bad Case of Deja Blew for Bruins

Like grains of sand, no two UCLA losses are exactly the same, even as they pile up with numbing monotony.

At first glance, Arizona State’s 85-69 victory Saturday was as yawningly predictable as many other Bruin defeats.

There was the early tease, with UCLA leading at the half behind inspired efforts from a handful of players.

There was the second-half collapse, with Arizona State erasing the deficit with a 12-0 run.

And at the end, there was no fight in the Bruins (5-16, 2-10 in the Pacific 10 Conference), just the same palpable resignation that this miserable season is their unavoidable fate.

“It was deja vu,” forward Jason Kapono said. “Game in, game out, at some point the other team goes on a flurry.”

Yet this one had distinctive elements, such as UCLA guard Ray Young making a steal, barreling over a slow-footed referee and losing the ball out of bounds while Pac-10 coordinator of officials Lou Campanelli scribbled furiously on a notepad.

Another oddity was the Bruins shooting 54.2%, yet getting off only 48 shots because they managed all of four offensive rebounds and committed 19 turnovers.

And there were historical milestones beyond UCLA reaching 10 conference losses for the first time since 1941-42. While watching their Sun Devils excel, the 9,242 at Wells Fargo Arena were reminded of Arizona State stars of yesteryear.

The victory marked the first time Arizona State (17-7, 9-4) has defeated UCLA twice in a season since 1979-80, when the Sun Devil lineup consisted of Byron Scott, Fat Lever, Alton Lister, Sam Williams and Kurt Nimphius.

This time it was Tommy Smith, Ike Diogu, Curtis Millage and Kyle Dodd doing the damage.

Smith, a senior forward, had 16 points and eight rebounds. He had five of Arizona State’s 11 offensive rebounds and turned several into dunks.

Diogu, a freshman center, shook off a sagging Bruin zone defense designed to stop him, scoring 26 points and making all eight free throws.

Millage made four three-point baskets en route to 22 points, and his back-to-back long-range shots from the baseline midway through the second half capped the 12-0 run and pushed the lead to 62-51.

Dodd, a 6-foot reserve point guard from Brea Olinda High, contributed 14 points, eight assists and five rebounds.

“They were swarming Ike, so I felt like I’d step up and shoot with confidence,” Dodd said.

UCLA had a hot hand as well in the first half, taking a 39-35 lead into the locker room on Ryan Walcott’s three-pointer with one second left.

The Bruins made five of seven from three-point range in the half and several players took turns penetrating the lane, none more impressively than Ryan Hollins. The freshman center twice drove the lane for ferocious dunks, the most notable plays in Tempe by a Hollins since Lionel, the Sun Devils’ first All-American in 1975.

Hollins stayed out of foul trouble, scored nine points and blocked three shots. But he had only three rebounds, getting nudged aside by the stronger Diogu.

“In the second half they took control of the paint,” UCLA Coach Steve Lavin said.

Arizona State has outrebounded 10 of its last 11 opponents and held a 32-24 edge on UCLA.

As the second half wore on, the Sun Devils played with increasing urgency while Bruin energy faded. UCLA’s last lead was 51-50 on a fallaway by Kapono, who had 21 points.

After four points by Diogu came the game’s pivotal play, an alley-oop dunk by Smith off a pass from Dodd. Smith was fouled and missed the free throw, but Shawn Redhage got the rebound and passed to Millage, who buried a three-pointer from the baseline.

UCLA limped down the stretch, making only one field goal in the last 7:40. Answers to the ongoing difficulties are just as scarce.

“A multitude of things went wrong,” Lavin said. “You can’t put your finger on one problem.”