Tucson, Ariz. • Shaina Pellington made 11 straight shots on her way to scoring a career-high 35 points, leading No. 18 Arizona over No. 4 Utah 82-72 on Friday night.
Cate Reese added 16 points for the Wildcats (20-6, 10-5). Helena Pueyo had 12 points, including for four free throw in the final 90 seconds.
Arizona broke the Utes’ seven-game winning streak and avenged an 80-79 loss in Salt Lake City a month ago.
Allison Pili had 26 points, Jenna Johnson had 19 and Gianna Kneepkens 13 for the Utes (22-3, 12-3), who entered with the highest ranking in program history.
Pellington had 23 points in the first half when she made all 10 field goal attempts. She made her first shot in the second half before missing.
Pellington finished 13 of 18 with eight rebounds and five steals.
Utah trimmed a 10-point deficit to 76-72 on Pili’s three-point play with 1:08 remaining. Madi Conner made two free throws for a 78-72 lead with 48.4 seconds remaining after Utah was called for an intentional foul.
The Utes, sixth in Division I in scoring, was held 12.7 points below its average. Arizona beat its fourth ranked team this season after wins over Baylor, Oregon and UCLA.
AN INCH OF SEPARATION
Utah beat the Wildcats on Jan. 15 when the lead changed hands twice in the final two seconds. Paris Clark’s steal and layup gave Arizona a 79-78 lead. After a Utah time, Pili was fouled after catching a long pass made two free throws after being fouled with one second left.
HOME CROWD
The Wildcats drew 8,238, the second-largest this season after drawing 9,868 against Stanford last Friday. The largest crowd the Utes had seen this season was 6,289 at Oregon.
BIG PICTURE
Utah: The Utes’ only other losses are to ranked Pac-12 teams No. 3 Stanford and No. 21 Colorado. With a strong finish, they could capture one of eight host sites in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, which would be another program first program.
Arizona: The Wildcats can bank on their third consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament, and the victory over the Utes helps make the journey one step easier.
UP NEXT
Utah: At Arizona State on Sunday.
Arizona: Hosts No. 21 Colorado on Sunday.
