Arizona pulled away from a single-digit lead early in the second half to earn a 93-67 win over Utah Tech on Friday night. The Wildcats led 44-37 at halftime and 53-44 early in the second half before extending the lead to double-digits and never looking back.
Brayden Burries, Anthony Dell'Orso and Koa Peat led Arizona with 18 points each and Tobe Awaka had 12 points and 18 rebounds for Arizona in the win. Ethan Potter led three players in double figures for Utah Tech. Utah Tech stayed in the game in the first half by making 13 of its 14 free throws.
After Arizona scored the first five points of the game before Utah Tech answered with a 9-0 run. Arizona had a 10-0 run midway through the second half to retake command of the game. The Wildcats had their biggest first-half lead, 37-21, before the Trailblazers rallied.
Dell'Orso led Arizona with 15 points in the first half, Peat scored 10 and Awaka had eight and nine rebounds to stake the Wildcats to the halftime lead. Utah Tech had good balance in the first half with four players scoring between six and eight points.
Arizona shot 57.1 percent from the field, made seven of its 15 three-point attempts and made 14 of 20 from the free throw line. Utah Tech fell way off in the second half. The Trailblazers made 40.0 percent of its shots from the field, four of its 14 three-point attempts and finished 19 of 27 from the free throw line.
Arizona is off until Tuesday when it hosts Northern Arizona. Drake beat Northern Arizona 77-71 in the season opener on Monday in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. NAU beat Justice University 87-55 in its home opener on Friday night. Arizona leads the All-Time Series with NAU 102-27.