Pac-12 basketball roundup: No. 11 Arizona holds on to beat Utah, 74-73

Dusan Ristic scored 23 points and made all three of his 3-point attempts, including a key one in the final two minutes, helping No. 11 Arizona hold off Utah 74-73 on Saturday.

Arizona (18-4, 8-1 Pac-12) had a four-point lead after Ristic hit two free throws, but Utah’s Justin Bibbins hit a 3-pointer with 4.3 seconds to pull Utah within one. Arizona’s Allonzo Trier was called for an offensive foul before the ball was inbounded and Utah got the ball inside to Donnie Tillman, who was unable to hit a contested shot.

Arizona’s Keanu Pinder missed a free throw with 0.3 seconds left and David Collette was well short on a desperation shot from the opposite free throw line.

Arizona, playing without sophomore guard Rawle Alkins for the third time in four games, jumped on Utah early to build a 13-point lead. The Wildcats stayed firmly in front until a nearly four-minute scoreless stretch allowed the Utes to climb back in it.

Arizona turned to an unlikely source to stem Utah’s rush, with Ristic hitting a challenged 3-pointer with 1:40 left. The 7-footer was 0 for 5 from the arc heading into Saturday’s game.

Trier added 16 points before fouling out and the Pac-12-leading Wildcats shot 64 percent to win their sixth straight game.

Utah (12-9, 4-5) fought back from its early hole against the hot-shooting Wildcats before rallying to lead with a 12-0 run. Sedrick Barefield led the Utes back, scoring 26 points.

Utah avenged an earlier loss on Thursday by knocking off No. 21 Arizona State. Barefield hit a 3-pointer with 1.8 seconds left and the Utes didn’t miss a shot in overtime in the 80-77 victory.

Arizona won the first meeting with Utah 94-82 in Salt Lake City on Jan. 4. Alkins had 22 points in that one but missed his second straight game with a sore right foot. He missed Arizona’s first nine games after having surgery for a stress fracture in the foot.

The Wildcats didn’t seem to miss their emotional leader, jumping on the Utes from the start.

Sharp at both ends, Arizona opened the game on a 14-4 run while hitting its first six shots and made nearly every Utah possession a struggle.

The Utes gathered themselves after the early Arizona onslaught and quieted the rowdy McKale Center crowd — at least a little — with a 9-0 run to pull within 31-27 late in the first half.

Arizona kept hitting shots, though, and held Utah scoreless over the final 4:35 to lead 43-33 at halftime. The Wildcats went 16 for 23 from the floor, including 7 of 9 from the 3-point arc.

The Utes started making shots again in the second half. So did Arizona, keeping the lead to at least 7.

Parker Jackson-Cartwright and Trier each picked up fouls, giving Utah an opportunity.

The Utes took advantage even as Arizona coach Sean Miller rotated both players back in, scoring 12 straight points to take a 66-65 lead with 5 { minutes left.

at Arizona State 80, Colorado 66: Tra Holder and Shannon Evans each sank four 3-pointers in the second half as No. 21 Arizona State pulled away to beat Colorado 80-66 on Saturday.

The Sun Devils (16-5, 4-5 Pac-12) were 0 for 10 on 3s in a first half that ended tied at 32. But Arizona State made 10 of 21 from long range in the second half, led by two guards who rarely had their shooting touch working on the same night in recent weeks.

Holder scored 18 of his 22 points after halftime, going 4 of 6 on 3s. Evans scored 13 of his 19 in the final 20 minutes, also making 4 of 6 from 3-point range.

Dominique Collier scored 11 points for the Buffaloes (12-10, 4-6), who lost their third straight Pac-12 game. Namon Wright and Lucas Siewert added 10 apiece.

Arizona State avenged a Jan. 4 overtime loss at Colorado and avoided consecutive home losses after being beaten by Utah in overtime on Thursday night.

Arizona State never trailed in the first half but was never up by more than eight points, either, failing to make a 3 in a half for the first time since Jan. 12 last year at Arizona.

Colorado wasn’t much better from long range in the first 20 minutes, going 2 for 10 on 3s.

But one of the makes, by Collier with 1:03 to play in the half, tied it at 30. Evans made two free throws and D’Shawn Schwartz scored inside for Colorado to make it 32-all at the break.

Vitaliy Shibel ended Arizona State’s long-range drought with a 3-pointer to open the second half. George King’s first basket of the night gave Colorado its first lead, 36-35, with 18:16 to play.

It was the first of seven lead changes and seven ties before Schwartz’s 3 put the Buffaloes up 51-47 with 10:52 left. Holder responded with consecutive 3s, the second after a Colorado turnover, and the Sun Devils were back on top 53-50 with 10:01 to go. The Buffaloes never caught up again.

Evans made a 3, Holder sank another, then Evans made one more and it was 65-55 with 6:16 to go. Evans’ final 3 put the Sun Devils ahead 72-60 with 3:35 left.

at Oregon 66, Oregon State 57: Elijah Brown scored 20 points and Paul White had 17 off the bench to help lead Oregon to a 66-57 victory over Oregon State on Saturday night.

Brown had 18 points in the first half as the Ducks (14-7, 4-4 Pac-12) built a 41-25 lead. Oregon held the Beavers (11-9, 3-5) scoreless for more than 6 minutes during a 22-2 run.

Stephen Thompson Jr. led Oregon State with 16 points. Tres Tinkle scored 13 and Ethan Thompson had 11.

The Ducks never let their lead get below eight points despite shooting just 6 of 24 (25 percent) in the second half. The conference leaders in free-throw accuracy at 79 percent made up for it by going 19 of 24 from the foul line.

Drew Eubanks had nine rebounds for the Beavers but only four points, nearly nine off his season average. Both teams finished with 28 rebounds.

Payton Pritchard had seven points and seven assists for Oregon.