Pac-12 men: Utah holds on after Arizona State makes late rally
Sat., Jan. 7, 2017
Kyle Kuzma scored 19 of his career-high 26 points in the second half and grabbed 12 rebounds Saturday, helping the Utah Utes hold off the Arizona State Sun Devils 88-82 in Pac-12 play in Tempe, Arizona.
Utah built a nine-point lead behind a second-half run keyed by Kuzma, only to allow Arizona State to claw its way back in the closing minutes.
Obinna Oleka pulled the Sun Devils within 82-80 on a two-handed slam, but Lorenzo Bonham and JoJo Zamora combined to make 3 of 4 free throws in the final 25 seconds.
The Utes shot 55 percent and made 8 of 16 from 3-point range. Zamora and David Collette had 18 points each.
Shannon Evans scored 21 points and Kodi Justice 17 to lead the Sun Devils.
Utah had a hard time slowing the Sun Devils on the perimeter at the start, particularly during a 23-5 run that put Arizona State up 25-16.
Kuzma, who had a quiet game in Tucson, sparked the Utes in the second half, keying a 9-0 run that put them up 56-48 midway through.
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