Sun Devil Men's Basketball hosted UCF for their first-time matchup ever at Desert Financial Arena.

Arizona State (10-6, 1-4) fell short to the Knight's (12-4, 3-2) for their first-time matchup ever and lost 95-89. The Sun Devils once again continued to fight and never backed down from the fight and ended the night shooting 12-of-24 from beyond the arc.

Four Sun Devils finished in double digits in tonight's late matchup, with BJ Freeman letting it loose all over the court. He finished with a season-high 26 points, connecting on 5-of-6 from deep and 8-of-14 from the field. Jayden Quaintance was dominant all over the paint, finishing with a season-high 20 points. On top of that, he cleaned seven boards off the glass and kept the rim safe with five blocks. Alston Mason continued to take control of the offense, finishing with 15 points and dishing out five assists. Finally, Adam Miller finished with 10 points, connecting on 3-of-6 from beyond the arc.

First Half:
Jayden Quaintance got the jumper to fall outside the paint to give the Sun Devils their first points of the night. BJ Freeman blew by his man and kissed it off the glass for an easy two, bringing Arizona State's deficit within 3. The Sun Devils trailed 12-9 heading into the first media timeout of the half with 15:40 remaining.

Coming out of the media timeout, BJ Freeman found Alston Mason for a catch-and-shoot treyball to tie the ballgame up at 12-12. Alston Mason got around his man and created enough space for a deep-two jay, knocking Arizona State's deficit to one with 11:53 remaining in the half.

BJ Freeman was able to knock down another three from deep to tie the ballgame up at 23-23 with 11:27 left on the clock. The Sun Devils headed into the third media timeout trailing 34-26, planning to regroup to grasp onto some momentum heading forward.

Basheer Jihad found Jayden Quaintance under the paint, which contributed to an and-1 play, decreasing the Sun Devils deficit within five. BJ Freeman found Jayden Quaintance on the pick-and-roll and Quaintance managed to get the ball in the hoop while being contested, tying it once again at 38-38 with 4:22 remaining.

UCF came out with an instant treyball, but BJ Freeman decided to match and pulled the trigger way beyond the arc to tie the ballgame back up at 41 a piece. Basheer Jihad found Jayden Quaintance on the back-door cut for a grown-man slam, increasing Arizona State's lead to 47-43 with 1:40 remaining before halftime. The Sun Devils headed into halftime trailing 49-47.

Second Half:
Shawn Phillips Jr. found BJ Freeman wide open beyond the arc for an easy knock-down three, giving the Sun Devils their first points to open up the second half. UCF followed that with a 6-0 scoring run, forcing Arizona State to call a timeout to regroup while being down 60-51 with 17:41 left in regulation. Alston Mason popped out at the top of the arc and was able to drop it in, still trailing 65-56 to the Knights with 16:05 remaining.

Alston Mason took advantage of the fast break and took it from one court end to the other and managed to turn the play into an and-1 opportunity, failing to successfully make the free throw but decreasing the Sun Devils deficit within five. Arizona State heads into the second media timeout of the half only trailing 69-62 with 11:33 remaining.

The Sun Devils came out of the break in a full-court press and forced back-to-back steals, leading to back-to-back threes to tie the game up at 69-69. BJ Freeman continued to roll and pulled it from beyond the arc, giving Arizona State a 76-72 lead with 7:52 left in regulation.

BJ Freeman got to the middle of the paint and got a fade-away jumper to drop in, giving the Sun Devils the lead once again at 80-79. Arizona State trailed the Knights 82-80 heading into the last media timeout of regulation with 3:56 remaining.

Jayden Quaintance sized up in the post and managed to get the ball in the basket while being heavily contested, tying it up once again at 82-82. Arizona State continued to fight with the Knights and eventually took a timeout to discuss a game plan, trailing 89-86 with 1:19 left in regulation. The Sun Devils fell short in the end, losing 95-89.

Up Next:
Sun Devil Men's Basketball will be traveling to Cincinnati, Ohio to face the Cincinnati Bearcats on January 18th at 12 p.m. MST. Coverage can be seen on CBS Sports Network.