Runnin' Utes Can't Tame #22 Wildcats on the Road

Wednesday, February 26

Tucson, AZ / McKale Center

7:00 PM

University of Utah

15-13,7-10Big 12

Arizona

19-9,13-4Big 12

Utah

Arizona

Photo by: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Runnin' Utes Can't Tame #22 Wildcats on the Road

2/26/2025 9:37 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Highlights

The Utah men’s basketball team fell to No. 22/21 Arizona 83-66 Wednesday night inside McKale Center.

TUCSON, Ariz. – The Utah men's basketball team battled down the stretch, but couldn't keep pace with No. 22/21 Arizona on the road Wednesday night inside McKale Center as it fell to the Wildcats 83-66.

Utah drew first blood off the opening tip when Lawson Lovering found the bottom of the bucket down low before a quick 6-0 spurt by Arizona gave it an 8-4 edge over the Utes at the first media break (15:58). After a 3-pointer from Gabe Madsen cut it to 8-7, the Wildcats reeled off an 8-1 run to force a Utah timeout from interim head coach Josh Eilert with 13:13 on the clock.

Turnovers once again proved costly early on for the Runnin' Utes with Arizona taking advantage of 9 first-half miscues by Utah to turn it into 17 points. Utah had cut the lead down to single-digits, 31-22, with 5:46 left in the half but the Wildcats kept the Utes (15-13, 7-10 Big 12) bay converting on its turnovers to send Utah into the locker room down 46-32 despite 11 first-half points from Keanu Dawes off the bench.

The Utes had a tough time finding its rhythm on offense early on in the second half, going 0-for-6 from the field with its only points coming at the free-throw line from Madsen. Dawes would be Utah's best offense the next four-plus minutes, but Arizona answered each basket by the Utes – which forced a timeout by Utah with 11:52 left to go. Ausar, who scored 13 of his 18 points in the second-half, got going late for the Utes to help Utah gnaw away at the Arizona lead.

Utah continued to show fight down the stretch and slowly brought the lead down to 77-66 with 1:26 left to go, but that would be as close as it would get in its 83-66 loss to the Wildcats (19-9, 13-4 Big 12).

Ausar and Dawes finished with a team-high 18 points apiece. Dawes picked up his third double-double of the year off the bench, finishing with 10 rebounds to go with his 18 points. Madsen finished with 10 points and tied a career-high in assists with 7. Lovering also tied a season-high on the glass with 10 rebounds.

POSTGAME STATISTICS

Utah has now lost 14-straight games on the road against Arizona inside McKale Center dating back to Dec. 12, 1992
Utah has now lost 12-straight road games against AP ranked opponents dating back to Dec. 15, 2018
Utah gave up 7 offensive rebounds in the first-half that resulted in 11 Arizona points
Keanu Dawes finished with points and rebounds for his third double-double of the season – all off the bench
Utah corrected itself in the second half, committing just 3 turnovers

UP NEXT
Utah returns home to the friendly confines of the Jon M. Huntsman Center where it is 14-3 this season and begins its final two-game homestand. The Runnin' Utes will first welcome in the Arizona State Sun Devils on Saturday, March 1, starting at 5 p.m. on ESPN+ with Pete Sousa and former Arizona Wildcat Corey Williams on the call. Saturday's game will also be a part of a doubleheader with the women's basketball team – who will host BYU at 1:30 p.m. (MST) inside the Jon M. Huntsman Center.

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. Fans can also stay connected on their mobile devices or tablets with the Utah 360, the official app of Utah Athletics, through the Apple Store or Google Play.

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