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…