Field Level Media
Feb 25, 2022
Kerr Kriisa became the first Arizona player in 18 years to log a triple-double, leading the second-ranked Wildcats to a 97-77 win over Utah in a Pac-12 game on Thursday at Salt Lake City.
Kriisa scored 21 points -- all in the first half, including a 45-foot swish at the halftime buzzer. After making 7 of 8 first-half 3-point attempts, he took just two shots after intermission and missed them both.
In the second half, he became a distributor, finishing with a game-high 10 assists. He also re-entered the game in the final two minutes and grabbed his 10th rebound, making him the first Arizona player to post a triple-double since Andre Iguodala in 2004.
Azuolas Tubelis scored a game-high 23 points for the Wildcats (25-2, 15-1 Pac-12), who won their ninth straight game. Arizona also got 14 points each from Dalen Terry and Bennedict Mathurin.
Arizona was dominant, rattling the rim with eight dunks.
Utah (11-17, 4-14), which had its two-game win streak snapped, fell to 7-7 at home this season.
The Utes got 15 points from Gabe Madsen, 14 points from David Jenkins Jr., 13 points from Both Gach and 10 points from Branden Carlson. But Carlson, who is Utah's leading scorer, shot just 4-for-12 from the floor.
This was Arizona's first win at Salt Lake City since Jan. 4, 2018. The Wildcats also improved to 8-2 on the road this season.
The Wildcats raced to an 8-0 start. Utah followed with a 7-0 run, and the Utes took their first lead at 28-27 on Marco Anthony's free throw with 6:44 left before halftime.
Arizona answered with a 23-2 run and took a 53-33 lead into halftime.
The Wildcats shot 51.2 percent from the floor in the first half, including 9-for-17 on 3-point attempts (52.9 percent). Utah shot 43.3 percent, including 5-for-12 from long range (41.7 percent).
In the second half, the Wildcats stretched their lead to 29 points.
Consecutive dunks by Mathurin and Tubelis punctuated the win for the Wildcats, who shot 52.1 percent from the floor for the game. That included 12-for-28 from beyond the arc (42.9 percent).
Utah shot 40.3 percent, including 9-for-25 on 3-point tries (36 percent).
--Field Level Media