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
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