Utah Utes basketball: Utes play well, but fall short at Arizona

TUCSON, Ariz. — There were plenty of things to ponder after Utah's 70-61 loss to Arizona before a crowd of 14,084 in the McKale Center.

The Utes' resolve was not one of them. They led early and often and even bounced back from a blistering run by the Wildcats.

In the end, though, it wasn't quite enough.

"The environment was terrific and our guys played their butts off," said Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak. "I should probably leave it at that so I don't get myself in trouble."

What Krystkowiak declined to comment on was how the Utes attempted 15 fewer free throws than the Wildcats despite playing a zone defense. The latter proved troublesome early on as Arizona missed nine of its first 10 shots from the field.

The Utes capitalized on the situation by opening the game with a 5-0 run and later building three 13-point advantages. They shot 54.5 percent (12 of 22) in the first half, including 4-of-5 accuracy from 3-point range, to keep the Wildcats at a distance.

Arizona fell in a 12-2 hole and didn't make its second basket until 10:49 remained in the half. Utah went on to lead 33-25 at the break.

The Utes remained in front until the Wildcats went on a 15-0 run in the second half. Brendon Lavender capped the outburst with a 3-pointer to give them their first lead at 46-43 with 12:09 left to play.

It failed, however, to put Utah away. The Utes, who had been held scoreless for 4:44, responded with eight straight points to reclaim the lead entering the final 10 minutes.

A seesaw battled ensued with Arizona pulling even at 51-51. The Wildcats followed suit again when Utah took leads of 53-51, 56-53, 59-56 and 61-58.

Lavender erased the last deficit on a 3-pointer with 4:16 to go.

The score stayed knotted at 61-61 for nearly three minutes before the Wildcats connected once again from beyond the arc.

Nick Johnson, who finished with a game-high 18 points, hit the game-winning shot as part of a game-ending 12-0 run by Arizona.

The outcome lifted the Wildcats to 18-8 overall and 9-4 in Pac-12 play. The Utes, who have now lost six consecutive games, fell to 5-20 and 2-11.

"Utah really stole our confidence today," said Arizona coach Sean Miller. "And we are extremely fortunate to come out with the win."