BRUINS TOUGH DOWN STRETCH UCLA ERASES 12-POINT LEAD, TOPS ASU UCLA 86, ARIZ. ST. 82.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

TEMPE, Ariz. - UCLA coach Ben Howland spent last season bemoaning his team's lack of toughness, be it physical or mental. The offseason workout programs were tailored, in part, to change that, and becoming tougher is a constant theme in practice.

The desire and work finally turned into reality Thursday at Wells Fargo Arena.

For the first time in his tenure, Howland gushed about his teams toughness as the Bruins erased a 12-point, first-half deficit, held back a second-half Arizona State surge and made their last 15 free throw attempts to post an 86-82 win.

The Bruins (10-3, 4-1 Pacific-10) won their fourth consecutive game to remain atop the conference standings. After going 2-11 away from home last season, the Bruins are 2-2 this season.

``This was a huge win for us,'' Howland said. ``It's a gutty win, and another hard-fought road win in a very tough conference. I like the mental toughness that we have. They never say die. They never quit. They have a lot of confidence, and it starts with our senior leader, Dijon Thompson.''

It was the Sun Devils' first home loss. ASU (13-3, 2-2) won its previous nine home games by an average of 17.9 points.

``In league play we've been down every game and had to come back, and I think that shows a lot of character,'' UCLA center Michael Fey said. ``I think guys have got new attitudes. We've got a whole new team, whole new chemistry. Things are going good right now, and we know when we get down, we're not out of it.''

Jordan Farmar led UCLA with 20 points, Thompson added 19 and Arron Afflalo chipped in 17, but Fey's defense against All-America candidate Ike Diogu was the difference.

Diogu scored in double figures for the 75th consecutive game, but his 15 points were eight under his season average, and his work to score was very difficult. Fey's defense, and double-teams whenever Diogu touched the ball, frustrated the 6-foot-8 junior into 6 of 16 shooting from the field. It was the first time Diogu, a 62 percent shooter this season, didn't make at least half of his shots in a game.

``Mike, he was my MVP,'' UCLA junior forward Ryan Hollins said. ``He stepped up big. Coach told Mike to hold his ground and he held it good.''

Fey added 10 points and five rebounds in 26 minutes, and Hollins and Lorenzo Mata also helped in guarding Diogu, who played 40 minutes but was rendered a non-factor in the offense.

``(The double team) didn't bother (Diogu),'' ASU coach Rob Evans said. ``He faced two 7-footers against Temple and a 6-foot-10 (guy) and did fine. They tried to get him out of position and they did a good job of it. He didn't move around as much as he should have.''

The Bruins yielded more than 75 points for the third consecutive game, but that was because of the pace. ASU shot 41.8 percent from the field, and it was defense that helped UCLA turn a 32-20 deficit into a 42-41 halftime lead.

The Bruins opened the second half with eight consecutive points for a 50-41 lead, then held off the Sun Devils. ASU pulled within two points several times, but Afflalo's 3-pointer with 2:57 left gave the Bruins a 76-71 lead.

``It was an actual play down the stretch for me,'' Afflalo said. ``I felt the need to come through. I got a little separation from the guy that was guarding me. He was playing me a little tight in the post.''

The rest of UCLA's points came from the line as Fey hit two free throws and Thompson made six in a row before Afflalo iced it with two free throws with 7.7 seconds that gave the Bruins an 86-82 lead.

``Everybody's playing better individually and we're much better as a team,'' Farmar said. ``We're playing solid. We're playing team defense, rebounding, helping each other out.''

Brian Dohn, [phone]

brian.dohn(at)dailynews.com

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(color) Arizona State forward Ike Diogu tries to muscle between UCLA's Michael Fey, right, and Dijon Thompson during Thursday's loss to UCLA.

Roy Dabner/Associated Press