Arizona State Sun Devils guard Jaddan Simmons fouls Arizona guard Shaina Pellington on her drive during the fourth quarter of Friday night’s in-state showdown in Tempe. Pellington finished with 30 points but missed a would-be tying shot in the final seconds.

 Kelly Presnell photos, Arizona Daily Star

TEMPE — As the clock ran down in Friday night’s rivalry game against Arizona State, Arizona fans had a mantra.

Just wait. Just wait. It’s coming.

Arizona, after all, always makes a comeback. And the Wildcats did it again against ASU, rallying from a 12-point deficit to take the lead.

But in the end, unranked ASU proved too tough for the sixth-ranked Wildcats. Key free throws and a defensive stop at the end led the Sun Devils to a 81-77 win at Desert Financial Arena.

The teams will play again Sunday in McKale Center. The game tips off at noon.

“They had us from the get-go,” Arizona coach Adia Barnes said. “They had way more intensity. They played with a sense of urgency. They guarded us. They hit shots. … I think we never responded. It took me calling a timeout and yelling — I usually don’t yell — and being intense for us to play defense, and that’s not who we are and that’s not my expectation and the standard for this team.”

Despite that, Arizona trailed by just three points in the final seconds. Shaina Pellington got open for a 3-pointer, but her shot fell short of the basket and the Sun Devils held on for the win.

Pellington finished with 30 points on 9-of-16 shooting, and added two steals and five assists. She scored 11 points in the fourth quarter. Pellington was driving and drawing fouls and hitting jumpers. She went 5 of 6 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter alone.

Arizona State guard Taya Hanson celebrates with her teammates after upsetting archrival Arizona 81-77 on Friday night in Tempe.

Sam Thomas finished with 14 points, two assists and one steal. Her 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter pulled the Wildcats within nine points, 61-52.

The Wildcats outscored the Sun Devils 25-20 in the last 10 minutes.

Pellington hit free throws and scored on a fast break to pull within three points, 65-62 with 7:11 left. ASU hit two free throws then Lauren Ware grabbed an offensive rebound and the put back to get within three again, 67-64.

UA took a 71-70 lead on Cate Reese’s 3-pointer at the 4:30 mark. Reese finished with 18 points.

Reese extended the lead to 73-71 on a layup, but things turned quickly on a 4-point swing. Arizona’s Helena Pueyo was whistled for a technical foul after slamming the ball after a foul call and ASU took advantage, going up 78-73. UA got within one point.

Officials called 50 fouls in the game.

ASU was led by senior transfer Jade Loville, who scored an efficient 14 points in the first 20 minutes alone and finished with 27 points. Twelve of her points came in the first quarter and were capped with five quick points in the last minute of the frame. She was averaging 16.5 points per game coming into Friday night’s matchup.

Arizona St. 81, No. 6 Arizona 77

ARIZONA (17-4)

Reese 8-18 1-3 18, Thomas 3-7 6-8 14, Ware 2-6 2-2 6, Pellington 9-16 12-19 30, Yeaney 1-4 0-1 2, Love 1-2 0-0 2, Chavez 0-0 0-0 0, Conner 0-0 0-0 0, Pueyo 1-2 2-2 5, Sanchez 0-1 0-0 0, Vonleh 0-0 0-0 0, Totals: 25-56 23-35 77

ARIZONA ST. (12-8)

Gilles 4-11 10-10 19, Van Hyfte 1-3 0-0 2, Hanson 5-8 8-8 19, Loville 9-19 7-8 27, Simmons 1-5 5-6 7, Levings 1-1 1-2 4, Greenslade 0-0 0-0 0, Basallo 0-3 0-0 0, Bosquez 0-2 0-0 0, Erikstrup 1-1 0-0 3, Totals: 22-53 31-34 81

Arizona 22 12 18 25 — 77

Arizona St. 25 17 19 20 — 81

3-Point Goals: Arizona 4-14 (Reese 1-4, Thomas 2-4, Ware 0-2, Pellington 0-1, Yeaney 0-1, Pueyo 1-2), Arizona St.: 6-11 (Gilles 1-2, Hanson 1-2, Loville 2-3, Simmons 0-1, Levings 1-1, Basallo 0-1, Erikstrup 1-1). Assists: Arizona 10 (Pellington 5), Arizona St. 13 (Gilles 3). Fouled Out: Arizona St. Levings, Simmons. Rebounds: Arizona 27 (Reese 9), Arizona St. 42 (Gilles 10). Total Fouls: Arizona 25, Arizona St. 27. Technical Fouls: Arizona Pueyo 1, Arizona St. Gilles 1. Attendance:5,193.

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