Threes were falling and offense was clicking on all cylinders in the first half Saturday as Arizona men’s basketball took a 43-33 lead to the locker room against Utah in the McKale Center. 

Arizona started the game shooting 6-for-6 in the first four minutes and jumping to a early 14-4 lead behind back-to-back 3-pointers from Allonzo Trier and Deandre Ayton. Arizona held a 10 point lead until Utah went on a 9-0 run with under six minutes left in the half to cut it to to within four. 

Arizona answered with a run of its own and took a 10 point lead into the half. 

Throughout the half, the Wildcats shot 70 percent from the floor and 7-for-9 from 3-point range while holding Utah to 38 percent from the floor and 3-for-3 from deep. However, turnovers hurt the Wildcats and helped Utah stay in the game. Arizona turned the ball over four times during Utah’s run and ended the half with seven turnovers. 

Another reason Utah stayed in the game was free throws. Although Arizona shot 100 percent, 4-of-4, from the free throw line, Utah made it to the line nine more times than the Wildcats did, shooting 10-for-13 . 

With nine points and six rebounds in the first half, Ayton looked more like himself to start the game, after Arizona head coach Sean Miller said he had been battling strep throat earlier in the week. 

Dusan Ristic had 11 points, while Parker Jackson-Cartwright had 10 and Trier added eight.

Once again Rawle Alkins sat out with soreness in his right foot. Alkins has now missed three of Arizona’s last four games. 

For Utah, Sedrick Barefield led the game with 13 points while David Collette followed him with 10. 

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