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No. 3 Arizona outlasts UTEP

Dec 20, 2014 - 7:08 AM El Paso, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Freshman phenom Stanley Johnson scored 17 points and No. 3 Arizona survived its first true road test of the season with a 60-55 win over UTEP.

Gabe York added 13 points and T.J. McConnell tallied nine points, eight assists and six rebounds for the unbeaten Wildcats (12-0), who have now won 39 straight non-conference regular season games.

Vince Hunter paced UTEP (6-4) with 18 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out midway through the second half.

Arizona made six of its first seven shots from the floor and looked well on its way to a blowout. Johnson's dunk at 14:47 gave the Wildcats a 15-2 lead.

The Miners scored just five points in the first 10 minutes of the game, but Hunter's layup at 9:52 kicked off a 12-2 run that he capped with another bucket near the rim nearly four minutes later.

There were two ties later in the first half, but Arizona didn't trail until Hunter capped a 7-0 UTEP run at 12:46 of the second. His layup gave the Miners a 40-38 lead.

Hunter picked up his fourth foul just past the midway point of the second half, then fouled out with 8:09 left on a fluke play where he accidentally tripped Johnson on a transition play.

UTEP was in the game until the end, but it couldn't survive the loss of its star forward. Arizona led 45-41 when Hunter fouled out and extended it to 56-46 on a Rondae Hollis-Jeferson dunk just before the final media timeout.

Omega Harris' 3-pointer with 40 seconds to go had UTEP within four, and Johnson missed two free throws at the other end, but Hollis-Jefferson secured the offensive rebound. York made two and UA held on.

Game Notes

Arizona shot just 15-for-27 from the foul line. UTEP didn't fare any better, finishing 8-for-17 ... Both teams had 34 rebounds ... Arizona travels to UNLV next Tuesday.