SALT LAKE CITY — Brandon Taylor scored 19 points, including an ankle-breaking move to free himself for a game-clinching 3-pointer with 41 seconds to play, and No. 22 Utah edged No. 9 Arizona 70-64 on Saturday to move into a first-place tie with Oregon in the Pac-12.
Ryan Anderson made two free throws with 2:51 to play to give Arizona its last lead at 64-63. The Wildcats didn’t score again.
Taylor, who went 4 for 5 from beyond the arc, had five steals and a couple of hustle plays in the closing minutes to help the Utes retain possession and break a 12-game losing streak against Arizona.
The last time the Utes beat the Wildcats, 76-51 in 1998, was in the West Regional final on their way to the NCAA Championship game.
Jakob Poeltl had 14 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks, while Lorenzo Bonam scored 11 points and Jordan Loveridge added 10 for the Utes, who won their sixth straight game.
Allonzo Trier scored 23 points and Anderson had 11 for the Wildcats, who have lost two after winning six straight.
Taylor gave Utah a 45-34 on a steal and layup early in the second half, but the Wildcats responded with a 12-0 run, including a dunk, block and hook by Kaleb Tarcewski. Gabe York’s basket with 14:25 left gave the Wildcats their first lead, 46-45, since early in the first half.
The Wildcats forced four turnovers in the first 4 minutes of the second half to get back into it but they couldn’t make the plays in the final minutes to stay at the top of the conference race.
Utah opened a 40-29 halftime lead on the strength of 60 percent shooting and a 28-14 advantage in points in the paint.
Utah started in a zone and mixed up its defenses to keep the Wildcats off-balance. Bonam got to the basket early and often, but in the second half Arizona was making plays in the paint.
Arizona coach Sean Miller made news during the week as he complained about the court-storming that occurs nearly every time they lose on the road.
Utah’s public address announcer said both coaches didn’t want any fans on the court after this one so the fans stayed in their seats and screamed long after the final buzzer.
Utah has won 11 of 13 to move into a first-place tie with Oregon, which still has three games remaining. Utah’s regular season finale is home against Colorado.
Poeltl has led Utah’s quest for its first Pac-12 championship, shooting nearly 73 percent over the past seven games, but this one was decided by Taylor, who had 15 points in the second half.
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