Love scores 15 of his 23 points during decisive stretch in No. 10 Arizona's 92-73 win over Utah
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) Caleb Love got hot at the right time, giving Arizona a big cushion in what had been a close game.
The natural inclination for a scorer like Love would be to keep shooting. Wildcats coach Tommy Lloyd pumped the brakes.
Love scored 15 of his 23 points during a decisive second-half stretch, Keshad Johnson added 20 points and No. 10 Arizona ran away from Utah for a 92-73 win on Saturday night.
"Caleb, as we know, can get hot and he went on a heater," Lloyd said. “And then I just told him, ‘Hey, take a breath. You kind of got us a little separation, now let us bring it home.’”
The Wildcats sure did.
Arizona (12-3, 3-1 Pac-12) shot well all night, but carelessness with the ball allowed Utah to keep it close. Once the second half started, the Wildcats took control with a massive run.
Love triggered the Wildcats' second-half dominance, scoring 15 points in the opening 11 minutes as the Wildcats stretched the lead to 17.
Arizona dominated the nation's second-tallest team inside, grabbing 18 more rebounds and outscoring the Utes 50-26 in the paint while shooting 60% from the floor.
“(We) kept pounding the ball inside and let the offense do the talking,” said Arizona forward Pelle Larsson, who had 14 points to eclipse 1,000 in his career on the same night as teammate Omar Ballo. “We just moved the ball it little bit more and got easy looks.”
The Utes (11-2, 2-2) kept Arizona within reach in the first half by hitting seven 3-pointers, but cooled off and had a second straight shaky defensive performance to remain winless at McKale Center since 1986.
Gabe Madsen had 18 points for Utah, which shot 3 of 17 from 3 in the second half.
“They’re a very good offensive team,” Utah coach Craig Smith said. “They average 93 points for a reason. They've got a lot of talent all over the place.”
The Utes had an eight-game winning streak end at Arizona State on Thursday by turning it over 15 times while giving up 12 3-pointers in the 82-70 loss.
The Utes had a much better offensive flow in the first half against Arizona and kept the Wildcats in reach by going 7 for 18 from 3-point range. Madsen hit four 3s and had 12 points by halftime.
Arizona leaned on Johnson early in the first half and Kylan Boswell late. They combined for 21 points and the Wildcats hit 16 of 26 shots to lead 42-39 at halftime despite nine turnovers.
Arizona took over early in the second half, bringing the crowd to its feet with a 15-2 run. Love had a tomahawk dunk after nearly losing the ball, followed with a long 3. Jaden Bradley capped the run with a layup after stealing the inbounds pass.
Utah had a scoreless stretch of more than four minutes during Arizona's run, then Love hit consecutive 3-pointers and a step-back jumper to stretch Arizona's lead to 69-52.
“Their fans do a great job of just willing them, giving them energy,” Smith said. “It’s hard. We tried to use every timeout to just try to stem the tide.”
THE TAKEAWAY
Utah: The Utes have plenty of length and are usually an efficient offensive team. Two lackluster losses in the desert showed they still have plenty of work to do on offense.
Arizona: The Wildcats have proven to be tough to stop once they get rolling, particularly at McKale Center. They certainly did against Utah, blowing open a close game by hitting 22 of 37 shots in the second half.
UP NEXT
Utah: Hosts UCLA on Thursday.
Arizona: Plays at Southern California on Wednesday.
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Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
20:00 | Lawson Lovering vs. Oumar Ballo (Wildcats gains possession) | |||
19:37 | +2 | Caleb Love makes two point jump shot | 0-2 | |
19:20 | +2 | Lawson Lovering makes two point dunk (Branden Carlson assists) | 2-2 | |
19:01 | +2 | Keshad Johnson makes two point dunk | 2-4 | |
18:45 | Lawson Lovering offensive foul | |||
18:45 | Lawson Lovering turnover (offensive foul) | |||
18:27 | +2 | Caleb Love makes two point layup | 2-6 | |
18:10 | Cole Bajema misses three point jump shot | |||
18:08 | Keshad Johnson defensive rebound | |||
17:59 | Caleb Love misses three point jump shot | |||
17:57 | Gabe Madsen defensive rebound | |||
17:44 | +2 | Lawson Lovering makes two point jump shot (Rollie Worster assists) | 4-6 | |
17:36 | Lawson Lovering personal foul | |||
17:31 | Keba Keita blocks Pelle Larsson's two point jump shot | |||
17:29 | Gabe Madsen defensive rebound | |||
17:23 | +3 | Gabe Madsen makes three point jump shot | 7-6 | |
17:17 | Kylan Boswell misses three point jump shot | |||
17:15 | Rollie Worster defensive rebound | |||
17:10 | Gabe Madsen misses three point jump shot | |||
17:08 | Caleb Love defensive rebound | |||
16:48 | Keba Keita personal foul | |||
16:44 | Pelle Larsson misses two point jump shot | |||
16:42 | Branden Carlson defensive rebound | |||
16:41 | Keshad Johnson personal foul | |||
16:21 | +2 | Branden Carlson makes two point dunk (Keba Keita assists) | 9-6 | |
16:09 | Caleb Love misses three point jump shot | |||
16:07 | Oumar Ballo offensive rebound | |||
16:01 | +3 | Keshad Johnson makes three point jump shot (Caleb Love assists) | 9-9 | |
15:39 | Keshad Johnson blocks Keba Keita's two point jump shot | |||
15:37 | Kylan Boswell defensive rebound | |||
15:18 | Caleb Love misses two point layup | |||
15:18 | Oumar Ballo offensive rebound | |||
15:18 | +2 | Oumar Ballo makes two point layup | 9-11 | |
15:01 | +3 | Gabe Madsen makes three point jump shot (Branden Carlson assists) | 12-11 | |
14:44 | TV timeout | |||
14:39 | +2 | Pelle Larsson makes two point layup | 12-13 | |
14:28 | Deivon Smith misses two point jump shot | |||
14:26 | Keba Keita offensive rebound | |||
14:20 | Ben Carlson misses three point jump shot | |||
14:18 | Oumar Ballo defensive rebound | |||
14:02 | Kylan Boswell misses two point layup | |||
14:00 | Rollie Worster defensive rebound | |||
13:41 | +3 | Ben Carlson makes three point jump shot (Rollie Worster assists) | 15-13 | |
13:25 | +3 | Kylan Boswell makes three point jump shot (Oumar Ballo assists) | 15-16 | |
12:59 | +2 | Ben Carlson makes two point layup (Branden Carlson assists) | 17-16 | |
12:50 | +2 | Oumar Ballo makes two point dunk (Kylan Boswell assists) | 17-18 | |
12:34 | KJ Lewis personal foul | |||
12:18 | Deivon Smith misses two point layup | |||
12:16 | Jaden Bradley defensive rebound | |||
12:04 | KJ Lewis turnover (bad pass) (Hunter Erickson steals) | |||
11:59 | +2 | Deivon Smith makes two point layup | 19-18 | |
11:50 | Pelle Larsson turnover (traveling) | |||
11:50 | TV timeout | |||
11:34 | Deivon Smith turnover (traveling) | |||
11:22 | +2 | Keshad Johnson makes two point dunk (Caleb Love assists) | 19-20 | |
10:51 | Branden Carlson misses three point jump shot | |||
10:49 | KJ Lewis defensive rebound | |||
10:39 | +3 | Keshad Johnson makes three point jump shot (Caleb Love assists) | 19-23 | |
10:20 | Ben Carlson misses three point jump shot | |||
10:18 | Jaden Bradley defensive rebound | |||
9:58 | Rollie Worster personal foul (Caleb Love draws the foul) | |||
9:58 | +1 | Caleb Love makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 19-24 | |
9:58 | +1 | Caleb Love makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 19-25 | |
9:43 | Rollie Worster turnover (bad pass) (Jaden Bradley steals) | |||
9:38 | Jaden Bradley turnover (bad pass) (Gabe Madsen steals) | |||
9:33 | Gabe Madsen misses three point jump shot | |||
9:31 | Jaden Bradley defensive rebound | |||
9:17 | Keshad Johnson misses two point jump shot | |||
9:02 | Motiejus Krivas personal foul (Gabe Madsen draws the foul) | |||
8:55 | Lawson Lovering turnover (lost ball) (KJ Lewis steals) | |||
8:43 | Caleb Love turnover (bad pass) (Cole Bajema steals) | |||
8:30 | Rollie Worster misses three point jump shot | |||
8:28 | Jaden Bradley defensive rebound | |||
8:10 | +2 | Caleb Love makes two point layup | 19-27 | |
7:45 | +2 | Lawson Lovering makes two point jump shot (Rollie Worster assists) | 21-27 | |
7:25 | +2 | Jaden Bradley makes two point jump shot (Motiejus Krivas assists) | 21-29 | |
7:10 | KJ Lewis personal foul (Lawson Lovering draws the foul) | |||
7:10 | TV timeout | |||
6:57 | Pelle Larsson personal foul (Gabe Madsen draws the foul) | |||
6:36 | Branden Carlson turnover (lost ball) (Jaden Bradley steals) | |||
6:31 | Caleb Love misses three point jump shot | |||
6:29 | Ben Carlson defensive rebound | |||
6:22 | Ben Carlson misses three point jump shot | |||
6:20 | Branden Carlson offensive rebound | |||
6:16 | +2 | Branden Carlson makes two point layup | 23-29 | |
5:59 | Gabe Madsen personal foul | |||
5:49 | Oumar Ballo misses two point hook shot | |||
5:47 | Branden Carlson defensive rebound | |||
5:38 | Caleb Love blocks Ben Carlson's two point layup | |||
5:36 | Oumar Ballo defensive rebound | |||
5:33 | Hunter Erickson shooting foul (Pelle Larsson draws the foul) | |||
5:33 | +1 | Pelle Larsson makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 23-30 | |
5:33 | Pelle Larsson misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | |||
5:33 | Ben Carlson defensive rebound | |||
5:14 | Branden Carlson misses three point jump shot | |||
5:12 | Jaden Bradley defensive rebound | |||
5:01 | +2 | Oumar Ballo makes two point dunk (Pelle Larsson assists) | 23-32 | |
4:55 | Utes 30 second timeout | |||
4:46 | +3 | Gabe Madsen makes three point jump shot (Ben Carlson assists) | 26-32 | |
4:26 | Branden Carlson shooting foul (Oumar Ballo draws the foul) | |||
4:26 | Oumar Ballo misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
4:26 | Oumar Ballo misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | |||
4:26 | Ben Carlson defensive rebound | |||
4:07 | Deivon Smith misses two point jump shot | |||
4:05 | Keshad Johnson defensive rebound | |||
3:58 | Pelle Larsson turnover (bad pass) (Deivon Smith steals) | |||
3:48 | +3 | Gabe Madsen makes three point jump shot | 29-32 | |
3:36 | +2 | Oumar Ballo makes two point hook shot (Keshad Johnson assists) | 29-34 | |
3:15 | Deivon Smith misses two point jump shot | |||
3:13 | Keshad Johnson defensive rebound | |||
2:59 | Caleb Love turnover (bad pass) (Lawson Lovering steals) | |||
2:46 | Oumar Ballo shooting foul (Lawson Lovering draws the foul) | |||
2:46 | TV timeout | |||
2:46 | Lawson Lovering misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
2:46 | +1 | Lawson Lovering makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 30-34 | |
2:32 | Rollie Worster personal foul (Kylan Boswell draws the foul) | |||
2:32 | +1 | Kylan Boswell makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 30-35 | |
2:32 | +1 | Kylan Boswell makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 30-36 | |
2:18 | +3 | Cole Bajema makes three point jump shot (Ben Carlson assists) | 33-36 | |
2:05 | Motiejus Krivas turnover (lost ball) | |||
1:53 | +3 | Ben Carlson makes three point jump shot | 36-36 | |
1:44 | Keshad Johnson offensive foul | |||
1:44 | Keshad Johnson turnover (offensive foul) | |||
1:44 | Wildcats 30 second timeout | |||
1:23 | Ben Carlson misses three point jump shot | |||
1:21 | Caleb Love defensive rebound | |||
1:16 | +3 | Kylan Boswell makes three point jump shot (Caleb Love assists) | 36-39 | |
0:52 | Gabe Madsen misses three point jump shot | |||
0:49 | Motiejus Krivas defensive rebound | |||
0:45 | +3 | Kylan Boswell makes three point jump shot | 36-42 | |
0:17 | Jaden Bradley shooting foul (Cole Bajema draws the foul) | |||
0:17 | +1 | Cole Bajema makes regular free throw 1 of 3 | 37-42 | |
0:17 | +1 | Cole Bajema makes regular free throw 2 of 3 | 38-42 | |
0:17 | +1 | Cole Bajema makes regular free throw 3 of 3 | 39-42 | |
0:08 | Kylan Boswell turnover (lost ball) (Gabe Madsen steals) | |||
0:06 | Gabe Madsen turnover (traveling) | |||
0:01 | Oumar Ballo turnover (lost ball) (Gabe Madsen steals) | |||
0:00 | End of period |