Men's Basketball Falls on the Road to #10 Arizona Saturday

Saturday, January 6

Tucson, AZ

6:00 PM

University of Utah

11-4,2-2Pac-12

Arizona

12-3,3-1Pac-12

Utah

Arizona

Men's Basketball Falls on the Road to #10 Arizona Saturday

1/6/2024 8:22 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Despite a battle in the first half, Utah men’s basketball falls to #10 Arizona on the road 92-73.

TUCSON, Ariz. – The #RV/RV Utah men's basketball kept pace with #10/10 Arizona for the first 20 minutes of action but couldn't find its rhythm on offense in the second half as it fell to the Wildcats 92-73 inside McKale Center Saturday evening.

The opening portion of the first-half was a heavyweight match as both teams exchanged blows. Arizona drew blood first but the Runnin' Utes answered with a 7-0 spurt to go up 9-6 before the lead changed eight times until Arizona's run.

Lawson Lovering ended a 4:14 minute drought for Utah when he drained a jumper by the free-throw line but the damage had been done with Arizona taking advantage of that drought to go on a 9-0 run for the 29-21 edge by the time the 7:10 media break arrived.

After a 4-2 start out of the timeout by Arizona, Gabe Madsen returned to haunt the Wildcat defense rattling in another pair of triples to bring the Utes (11-4, 2-2 Pac-12) within 34-29 at the final media break (2:46). Cole Bajema and Ben Carlson tied things up, 36-36, in a hurry when the pair drained back-to-back 3-pointers but Kylan Boswell answered with a pair of his own to put the Wildcats back on top 42-36 before Bajema knocked down his three free-throws with 17.1 ticks left in the half to bring Utah within 42-39 of Arizona at the break.

The second frame opened up with some back-and-forth but missed opportunities on the offensive end for Utah led to a 10-2 run for Arizona (12-3, 3-1 Pac-12) and forced a Utah timeout with 14:54 on the clock down 54-45. That run continued for Arizona as Utah headed into the 11:59 media break trailing 61-48.

Every time the Runnin' Utes would try and make a run, Arizona would counter with a short spurt of their own to spoil any progress Utah had made as it fell 92-73.

Madsen finished with a team-high 18 points on 4-of-9 shooting from deep while Bajema chipped in with 11 points. Carlson added 10 points of his own off the bench with 6 rebounds for the Utes.

UP NEXT
Utah returns home to the friendly confines of the Jon M. Huntsman Center for a quick stint at home as it plays host to UCLA on Thursday, Jan. 11, for a 7 p.m. (MT) game on ESPN2. Veteran play-by-play man Dave Pasch will have call alongside former Wildcat Corey Williams as Utah looks to end a seven-game skid against the Bruins.

For the latest news and information on the Runnin' Utes men's basketball program, fans can stay connected online at www.UtahUtes.com and on social media by following @UtahMBB on Facebook, X and Instagram.

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