3 takeaways from Utah’s 19-point loss to No. 1 Arizona

Utah found itself taking on the heavyweight of the Big 12 in No. 1 Arizona on Saturday afternoon at the Huntsman Center.

The Wildcats looked the part of the top team in the country, taking control early and fending off any and all Utah rallies en route to a blowout 97-78 victory over the Utes.

Here are three takeaways from the game that dropped Utah to 8-6 overall and 0-1 in Big 12 play.

Photo Gallery: 1 of 20

1 of 20

Photo Gallery: 2 of 20

2 of 20

Photo Gallery: 3 of 20

3 of 20

Photo Gallery: 4 of 20

4 of 20

Photo Gallery: 5 of 20

5 of 20

Photo Gallery: 6 of 20

6 of 20

Photo Gallery: 7 of 20

7 of 20

Photo Gallery: 8 of 20

8 of 20

Photo Gallery: 9 of 20

9 of 20

Photo Gallery: 10 of 20

10 of 20

Photo Gallery: 11 of 20

11 of 20

Photo Gallery: 12 of 20

12 of 20

Photo Gallery: 13 of 20

13 of 20

Photo Gallery: 14 of 20

14 of 20

Photo Gallery: 15 of 20

15 of 20

Photo Gallery: 16 of 20

16 of 20

Photo Gallery: 17 of 20

17 of 20

Photo Gallery: 18 of 20

18 of 20

Photo Gallery: 19 of 20

19 of 20

Photo Gallery: 20 of 20

20 of 20

Steals, rebounds spark an early Arizona run — and others after that

If only Utah could have stopped the count after Don McHenry hit a jumper on the first possession of the game to give the Utes their only lead of the day.

Fourteen seconds later, Arizona scored and the race was on.

The Wildcats scored the game’s next 14 points after McHenry’s bucket — fueled primarily by steals and a couple early offensive rebounds — and then maintained control through nearly the rest of the game.

Arizona shot 61.1% in the first half and had three players in double-figures at the break, then carried that effort over to the second half.

The Wildcats led 58-39 at intermission.

Wildcat seniors Jaden Bradley and Tobe Awaka led the Arizona effort, which included having five players in double-figures.

Bradley had 18 points, five assists, four rebounds and a steal, while Akawa added 18 points, 12 rebounds, two blocks, two steals and an assist.

Freshmen Brayden Burries (17 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, two steals), Koa Peat (17 points, three assists, three steals, two rebounds) and Ivan Kharchenkov (13 points, three rebounds, three assists, three steals) also had solid outings.

Utah showed some fight

To the Utes’ credit, they could have folded pretty early in this one after the Wildcats took charge, but they didn’t.

It was clear that Arizona, with its mix of veteran leaders and talented freshmen, was the far athletic squad, but Utah kept fighting throughout the day — and an appreciative and loud Huntsman crowd showed its support.

Midway through the first half was one of Utah’s best stretches. After falling behind by 17 just eight minutes in, the Utes responded with an 11-3 run. Over the next several minutes, Utah trimmed its deficit to single digits.

Each time, Arizona had an answer, but Utah’s fight was evident.

Terrence Brown led the Utah charge with 26 points, a team-high six assists and four rebounds. McHenry added 15 points, four rebounds and two steals and Keanu Dawes, the lone Ute with Big 12 experience, had 15 points, nine rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal.

Arizona’s efficiency won out

The Wildcats averaged 1.36 points per possession and ended up shooting 53.6% for the game to easily put away their 14th straight win to start the season.

A few other statistics showcased Arizona’s dominance: The Wildcats finished with a 11-5 edge in steals, and that led to a 18-9 advantage in points off turnovers and 15-6 in fastbreak points.

The Wildcats’ superior interior presence was also felt. Arizona outrebounded the Utes 43-30, including 14-10 on the offensive glass.

That led to the Wildcats having a 15-11 edge in second-chance points.