SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4 Sports) - It was an instant classic, but ultimately the Runnin' Utes just ran out of gas against #8 Arizona.
Despite Deivon Smith's second triple-double of the season, Arizona was able to outlast the Utes behind former Utes guard Pelle Larsson's 27 points and eight assists, and the Wildcats held on for a 105-99 victory Thursday night.
The loss is Utah's first at home after 12 straight victories to start the season.
Branden Carlson led Utah with 27 points and 15 rebounds. Keba Keita had 18 points and Gabe Madsen added 17. Smith finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for the Utes, who played its first tripled overtime game since 2005.
"Super disappointed that we didn't find a way to win that," said Utah head coach Craig Smith. "We had some chances."
Caleb Love added 19 points and 10 rebounds to help the Wildcats (18-5, 9-3 Pac-12) earn their third road win in conference play. Keshad Johnson chipped in with 17 points and Kylan Boswell added 16. Oumar Ballo grabbed 16 rebounds to go with 10 points.
Utah (15-8, 6-6) could not overcome a 10-of-21 performance from the free-throw line after rallying from 16-point halftime deficit.
"At halftime, we challenged our guys going into half down 16," Smith said. "That's a hard spot to be in against a team of this caliber. But I was really proud of how we fought back."
Arizona was outrebounded 57-53 but outscored Utah 52-48 in the paint.
Arizona never trailed through the final two overtime periods, but the Wildcats did not pull away for good until Ballo threw down a dunk to ignite a 9-0 run that put the Wildcats up 102-93 with 40 seconds left.
Trailing by 16 early in the second half, Utah erased the deficit behind hot shooting from Madsen and Carlson. The duo combined for 15 baskets and 38 points after halftime.
"Our fans were amazing tonight," Carlson said. "It just shows that this program has what it takes to do what we need to do to have success going into March."
Madsen made a 3-pointer and layup to spark an 11-0 run that helped Utah tie it at 63. The Utes missed four potential go-ahead baskets, but Arizona missed seven straight shots and went six minutes without a bucket. The prolonged drought allowed Utah to finally take a 68-67 lead on Carlson’s jumper.
The Wildcats regained the lead on a layup from Larsson on the ensuing possession and stayed in front until Madsen knocked down a transition 3 with 19.4 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime.
After Carlson gave Utah the lead on a layup with 1:18 left in the first overtime, Larsson tied it again on a jumper in the final minute to force another extra session.
Arizona never trailed in the second overtime, but Larsson missed a pair of potential go-ahead free throws with 52 seconds left in the extra session to open the door for a third overtime.
Utah went ice cold on offense during the first half, opening the door for Arizona to surge in front. The Wildcats didn’t waste the opportunity.
"This showed that we have a lot of heart," Deivon Smith said. "It showed we can play all the way down to the stretch. Some stuff didn't go our way, but just the energy in the locker room after the game and during those three overtimes, shows how much heart we have."
Arizona built a 41-25 halftime lead when Utah made one basket over the final six minutes of the first half. The Utes missed nine shots and four free throws during that stretch. The Wildcats closed the half on a 14-4 run, punctuated by a layup from Love.
Utah struggled with numerous wasted possessions over the first 20 minutes, rushing shots and committing careless turnovers. Then, the offense roared to life after halftime.
The Utes next host Arizona State Saturday night at the Huntsman Center.