The No. 3 Arizona Wildcats needed a strong finish once again to maintain their perfect record against the Utah Utes in the second game of Pac-12 play for both teams. Arizona needed a stop on the final possession, as Jarred Dubois' shot was off at the final buzzer.
No. 3 Arizona vs. Utah final score: Wildcats survive scare, win 60-57
The lowly Utes gave Arizona all it could handle on Saturday.
Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports
The Wildcats built a 10-point lead at 39-29 with less than 16 minutes to play, but Utah would slowly get back into the game over the next 10 minutes. A goaltend on a Jason Washburn layup pulled the Utes with one point at 51-50 to set up a tense ending.
Senior Solomon Hill led Arizona all game long, and he answered with a big three to stretch the Wildcats' lead back out to two possessions.
The Utes have played at a slow pace all year, and they did just that against the Wildcats to help stay close. The game was well below Arizona’s average of 68 possessions.
After Hill's big play, the team's would continue to trade baskets for the final minutes. Things got tight again as Cedric Martin hit a deep three for Utah with just a minute to play to put the score at 58-57 in favor of Arizona. Utah would get get a stop on the next possession to set up the finish.
Dubois missed an open look at three for Utah on the ensuing possession, but it was quick enough for the Utes to foul and get one last shot to tie the game.
Arizona moves to 2-0 on conference play with a couple of narrow victories.
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