No. 20 Arizona pulls away for 85-74 victory over BYU
Arizona puts game away with big slam by Henri Veesaar
Henri Veesaar rocks the rim to give Arizona a 13-point lead over BYU in the closing minutes.
PROVO, Utah -- — Caleb Love scored 18 points and Jaden Bradley added 17 – all in the second half – to help no. 20 Arizona pull away for an 85-74 victory over BYU on Tuesday night.
Henri Veesaar also finished with 17 points and Tobe Awaka added 14 to help the Wildcats win their fourth straight game. Arizona (16-6, 10-1 Big 12) has won 11 of its last 12 overall to stay in a first-place tie with Houston atop the Big 12 standings.
Egor Demin scored 16 while Dallin Hall and Richie Saunders added 11 apiece for the Cougars (15-7, 6-5) who saw their four-game winning streak snapped.
BYU made three straight baskets, culminating in a contested corner three from Kanon Catchings to take a 61-60 lead. Back-to-back baskets from Caleb Love and Jaden Bradley quickly put Arizona back in front.
Dallin Hall cut the deficit to a point on a driving layup. Bradley countered with back-to-back baskets and then hit six free throws to fuel a 13-2 run that extended the Wildcats’ lead to 80-68 with 4:02 left.
BYU scored just two baskets over the final 7:46.
Arizona: Love became the 56th Arizona player to score 1,000 career points with the Wildcats. He entered Tuesday’s contest having scored 988 points since transferring to Arizona from North Carolina.
BYU: Hall reached double figures for just the fifth time this season after not making a basket in four of his previous five games.
Bradley scored 11 points over a three-minute stretch that helped Arizona pull away from BYU.
Arizona outrebounded BYU 45-30. The Cougars fell to 0-5 this season when grabbing fewer rebounds than their opponent.
Both teams play again on Saturday. Arizona hosts Texas Tech and BYU is at Cincinnati.
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Game Information
- Referees:
- Randy McCall
- Gregory Nixon
- Tommy Johnson
2024-25 Big 12 Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | 10-1 | - | 18-4 |
| Arizona | 10-1 | - | 16-6 |
| Texas Tech | 9-2 | 1 | 18-4 |
| Iowa State | 7-4 | 3 | 17-5 |
| Kansas | 7-4 | 3 | 16-6 |
| BYU | 6-5 | 4 | 15-7 |
| Baylor | 6-5 | 4 | 14-8 |
| West Virginia | 5-5 | 4.5 | 14-7 |
| Kansas State | 5-6 | 5 | 11-11 |
| UCF | 4-6 | 5.5 | 13-8 |
| Utah | 4-6 | 5.5 | 12-9 |
| TCU | 4-6 | 5.5 | 11-10 |
| Arizona State | 3-8 | 7 | 12-10 |
| Oklahoma State | 3-8 | 7 | 11-11 |
| Cincinnati | 2-8 | 7.5 | 12-9 |
| Colorado | 0-10 | 9.5 | 9-12 |
Men's College Basketball News