After being dealt a devastating 80-79 loss to Utah in January, Shaina Pellington and the Arizona Wildcats made sure it didn't happen again.
The fifth-year guard dropped 35 points in No. 18 Arizona's 82-72 win over No. 4 Utah.
𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐎𝐍𝐄'𝐒 𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐒#MadeForIt x #LeaveALegacy pic.twitter.com/WRF8PaFv5U
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaWBB) February 18, 2023
From the jump, the Wildcats were hot, never trailing the Utes after the first minute-and-a-half of play.
Pellington put up her first points to give Arizona the lead just eight minutes and forty-five seconds into the first quarter and she never looked back.
At the half, the Wildcats led by four. Heading into the fourth quarter, Arizona was up by 10. Utah pulled the game back to a single-digit margin with just over four minutes left to play, but even a 23-point effort from Utes forward Alissa Pili wasn't enough to shake the Wildcats.
Arizona was money all night, but especially when it counted. The Wildcats were 10 for 12 from the free throw line in the final two minutes of play, as Pellington iced the game at the line with 14 seconds remaining.
Arizona shot nearly 51 percent from the field compared to Utah's 46.3 percent. Cate Reese also put up 16 points for the Wildcats, with Helena Pueyo tallying 12.
The victory marks Arizona's 20th of the season, but things aren't getting easier from here. The Wildcats will face another ranked opponent with No. 21 Colorado on Sunday. Utah will look to get back in the win column as they face Arizona State on Sunday.
