Arizona outscored Utah 39-24 in the second half, but lost 63-62 in its Big XII opener to Utah on Monday afternoon at McKale Center. Utah outscored Arizona 24-4 in the second quarter to take a 39-23 lead into halftime. The second quarter was the only one in which Utah had an advantage on Monday.
Arizona had final possession trailing by one point, but failed to convert in the one-point loss. The Wildcats outscored the Utes 20-14 in the third quarter and 19-10 in the fourth to put themselves in position to earn a win in their Big XII opener.
Arizona nearly completed a rally from eight points down with 1:30 left in the game. Tanyuel Welch had a three-point play with 1:24 left to cut the Arizona deficit to five points. LA Sneed made a layup for Utah to stretch the lead to seven points.
Mickayla Perdue made all three free throws after getting fouled on a three-point attempt. Perdue made a three-point shot with nine seconds remaining to cut the deficit to 63-62. Sneed missed a pair of free throws and Nora Francois got the rebound for Arizona with eight seconds remaining.
The decisive moment
Utah forced a held ball with one second remaining, but Arizona maintained possession. Achol Magot missed a desperation shot under the basket while double-teamed teamed and Arizona lost its first Big XII game under Becky Burke to fall to 9-3 overall.
Arizona got off to a good start with a 19-15 lead after the first quarter. Utah took control of the game with a 17-0 run to start the second quarter. The run by Utah was decisive as the Utes never trailed again. Arizona outscored Utah 58-39 in the third quarter.
Arizona is off until New Year's Eve, when it plays at Colorado, followed by the second half of a two-game road trip to Texas Tech. BYU is at Arizona on January 6 as the Wildcats return home for their first game in 2026.