TEMPE, Ariz.--- The Wildcats trailed by just three points at the half, but in the end No. 18 Arizona State proved to be a little too much, as Arizona fell 71-54, Saturday night at Wells Fargo Arena.

Senior guard Candice Warthen led the Cats in scoring for the sixth time in the last seven games and for the 10th time overall, as she put in 13 points in 30 minutes of action, including scoring nine in the second half.

Sophomore guard Malena Washington came just one point shy of equaling her career high, as she poured in 11 points, including going a perfect 5-of-5 at the free throw line.

Sophomore forward LaBrittney Jones had an efficient shooting night, as she drained 4-of-5 shots from the field for nine points, while freshman guard JaLea Bennett provided a lift off the bench, scoring nine points and grabbing a career-high six rebounds in the game.

Senior forward Alli Gloyd dominated down low, as she pulled down a game-high equaling nine rebounds, while picking up a couple of steals. She's now led Wildcats in rebounding in back-to-back contests.

Arizona (7-8, 0-4 Pac-12) came out ready to play in this one, matching the 18th ranked team in the country bucket for bucket in the early going, as the Cats at one point held an 8-6 advantage with 12:21 remaining in the first half.

Arizona State (15-1, 4-0 Pac-12) tried to create some distance between the two sides, as it went up 27-19 with 3:24 left in the first half, after a Peace Amukamara converted on a layup.

However, the Wildcats refused to back down, as they ended the half on a 9-4 run to cut ASU's lead to just 31-28 at the half. UA held the Sun Devils to just 1-of-7 from three-point land in the first half, improving what already was the second-best three-point percentage defense in the league coming in at .256.

Unfortunately, in the second half the Sun Devils proved why they're considered one of the best teams in the nation, as they finished off the victory.

The Wildcats will get back after it, as they'll play Stanford in the second game of their three-game road swing, Friday at 9 pm MST up in Palo Alto. The game will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks, while it can be heard locally on KTUC 1400 AM.

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