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No. 3 Arizona escapes controversy, slips by Utah

Jan 6, 2013 - 2:11 AM Tucson, AZ (Sports Network) - Mark Lyons made two key free throws in the final seconds and Solomon Hill poured in a game-high 19 points, as third-ranked Arizona walked away with a 60-57 win over Utah at McKale Center.

Lyons totaled 12 points and four assists, with 11 points coming from Brandon Ashley for the Wildcats (13-0, 2-0 Pac-12), who squeaked out another win after posting a controversial overtime decision against Colorado on Thursday.

"I credit Mark Lyons. Making clutch free throws is not an easy thing, and he's done it so remarkably well for 14 games," said Arizona head coach Sean Miller. "That alone is a huge reason why we are undefeated and in the position we are in."

Jason Washburn and Jordan Loveridge both tallied 17 points for the Utes (8-6, 0-2), who have dropped three of four. Washburn also picked up a game-best 11 rebounds in defeat.

Unlike the game less than 48 hours ago, when a three-pointer from Colorado's Sabatino Chen -- which would have given the Buffaloes a last-second win -- appeared to be erroneously waved off, Arizona didn't need to go to extra time on Saturday to emerge victorious. The hosts still had to see how a desperation shot from the visitors fell before the buzzer.

"That's what the media is for, to get attention," Hill said about any parallels between the Colorado and Utah games. "It's nothing that bothered us; we had a game to play. It went 13-0 on our record and we had to worry about Utah."

After Lyons' two from the line with 7.2 seconds left, Utah's Jarred DuBois unloaded a shot from beyond the arc that hit the rim, bounced off the top of the backboard and then hit the rim again before bouncing away from the bucket.

Arizona led 8-3 early on, then upped its edge to 15-8 with just over six minutes played on two from the line by Hill. DuBois was later fouled on a shot from beyond the arc, made all three free-throw tries, and pulled the Utes within 17-16.

Ashley's jumper began a 13-4 run, which featured triples from Kevin Parrom and Lyons. Johnson's make from long range pushed the hosts' edge to 30-20, but a Loveridge trey made it a seven-point spread at the break.

A Lyons lay-in made it 39-29 for the Wildcats, and the visitors responded by pulling within 47-44 on a Washburn triple.

Six in a row from Utah concluded on a Washburn jumper with 5:33 on the clock for a 51-50 deficit, but Hill provided some breathing room thanks to a three- pointer.

The Utes again closed their gap to one, at 58-57, with 1:07 remaining after a Cedric Martin trey, but a DuBois three-point attempt fell short and Lyons was sent to the line for the deciding shots.

Game Notes

Arizona has won the last five meetings with Utah, though the Utes lead the all-time series, 28-24 ... Lyons led all players with four assists ... Ashley ended up with 11 points and four rebounds ... DuBois posted 12 points and three assists ... The Wildcats won despite shooting 36.2 percent from the field.