Tobe Awaka leads Arizona to win over Utah Utes in Big 12 opener in SLC

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SALT LAKE CITY – Backup center Tobe Awaka and guard Brayden Burries both posted double-doubles to lead typically well-balanced Arizona to a 97-78 win over Utah in its Big 12 Conference opener on Saturday at the Huntsman Center.

Awaka had a career-high-tying 18 points and 12 rebounds, also hitting both 3-pointers he tried, while Burries had 17 points and 11 rebounds. Arizona also had three other players score in double figures, with point guard Jaden Bradley collecting 18 points, four rebounds and five assists.

Awaka’s efforts helped UA easily compensate for the foul-plagued game of starting center Motiejus Krivas, who had just seven points and four rebounds while picking up four fouls in 17 minutes.

Up 58-39 at halftime, the Wildcats took a 70-46 lead early in the second half after Koa Peat hit a 3-pointer and Burries made a layup. Utah scored eight straight points from there to cut UA’s lead to 16 points and held UA to 35.3% shooting in the first 10 minutes of the second half but the Utes never seriously challenged the rest of the way.

The win moved the Wildcats to 14-0 and 1-0 in Big 12 play entering their home conference opener on Wednesday against Kansas State. Utah dropped to 8-6 and 0-1.

In the first half, Awaka had 11 points and nine rebounds while hitting two 3-pointers to help Arizona gain a 58-39 halftime lead.

Burries had nine points and six rebounds before halftime, while Terrence Brown led Utah with 17 first-half points. Brown finished with a game-high 26 points, four rebounds and six assists.

Arizona pounced on the Utes early, with Ivan Kharchenkov initiating what became a 14-0 run after Utah scored the first basket of the game. Kharchenkov hit a jumper and then stole a bad pass from Utah’s James Okonkwo and raced in for another shot.

The Wildcats also had 3s from Burries and Bradley during the run, while Kharchenkov scored again after a steal by Burries to make it 14-2 with 16:08 left.

But while UA built its first-half lead as high as 17 points when Awaka made his first 3-pointer, making it a 27-10 game, the Utes cut it to single digits several times during the rest of the first half.

Awaka hit a second 3 with 4:55 to give UA a 43-28 lead, his third of the season. He’s now 5 for 10 from 3-point range in his four-year college career, which began with two seasons at Tennessee.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Tobe Awaka leads Arizona to win over Utah Utes in Big 12 opener in SLC

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