Hot-shooting Arizona beats Utah 77-51


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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Kyle Fogg and Kevin Parrom each had 12 points to overcome the ejection of Solomon Hill and Arizona whipped Utah, 77-51 on Thursday night.

Nick Johnson had 11 points and Josiah Turner had 10 points as the Wildcats (12-6, 3-2 Pac-12) made 12 of 24 from 3- point range and buried the depleted Utes with a second- half flurry.

Jason Washburn scored 14 points to lead Utah (4-14, 1-5). Josh Watkins, Utah's leading scorer and only active senior, was officially dismissed Wednesday for a violation of team rules.

In the opening minutes of the second half, Cedric Martin took an elbow to the head from Hill and fell under the Arizona basket. Hill was ejected and Utah trailed 35-32 after Alex Mortensen converted the ensuing free throws.

Johnson made back-to-back 3-pointers to fuel a 20-2 run over a 4:26 span as Arizona took a 55-34 lead.

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Watkins previously had been suspended for one game for being late to practice, missing Utah's 81-50 home loss to Cal State Fullerton.

"The integrity of our program as a whole cannot be sacrificed for any individual," first-year head coach Larry Krystkowiak said in a statement. "This was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make."

The undermanned Utes lost their only other senior, center David Foster, in November to foot surgery.

Arizona, on the strength of six 3-pointers and 21-13 rebounding advantage, raced to a 10-point lead in the first half before settling for a 33-28 lead at the break.

When Martin went down, no foul was initially called. After consulting the courtside television monitor, officials called a flagrant 2 foul on Hill and ejected him.

Utah had been competitive in home conference games in its first Pac-12 season, beating Washington State and losing to Washington by four points. But the Wildcats made it look easy to score on Utah in the second half.

Kareem Storey, Watkins' replacement at the point, had 10 points, five assists and five turnovers before fouling out in the first conference game between the schools since Feb. 16, 1978, when both were members of the Western Athletic Conference.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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