No. 1 Arizona outlasts UTEP
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}El Paso, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Freshman phenom Stanley Johnson scored 17 points and No. 3 Arizona survived its first true road test of the season with a 60-55 win over UTEP.
Gabe York added 13 points and T.J. McConnell tallied nine points, eight assists and six rebounds for the unbeaten Wildcats (12-0), who have now won 39 straight non-conference regular season games.
Vince Hunter paced UTEP (6-4) with 18 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out midway through the second half.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Arizona made six of its first seven shots from the floor and looked well on its way to a blowout. Johnson's dunk at 14:47 gave the Wildcats a 15-2 lead.
The Miners scored just five points in the first 10 minutes of the game, but Hunter's layup at 9:52 kicked off a 12-2 run that he capped with another bucket near the rim nearly four minutes later.
There were two ties later in the first half, but Arizona didn't trail until Hunter capped a 7-0 UTEP run at 12:46 of the second. His layup gave the Miners a 40-38 lead.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hunter picked up his fourth foul just past the midway point of the second half, then fouled out with 8:09 left on a fluke play where he accidentally tripped Johnson on a transition play.
UTEP was in the game until the end, but it couldn't survive the loss of its star forward. Arizona led 45-41 when Hunter fouled out and extended it to 56-46 on a Rondae Hollis-Jeferson dunk just before the final media timeout.
Omega Harris' 3-pointer with 40 seconds to go had UTEP within four, and Johnson missed two free throws at the other end, but Hollis-Jefferson secured the offensive rebound. York made two and UA held on.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Game Notes
Arizona shot just 15-for-27 from the foul line. UTEP didn't fare any better, finishing 8-for-17 ... Both teams had 34 rebounds ... Arizona travels to UNLV next Tuesday.