HOUSTON — No. 4 Arizona clamped down defensively and rode another impactful scoring burst from Anthony Dell'Orso to grind out a 73–66 road win over No. 2 Houston on Saturday afternoon at the Fertitta Center.
 
Against Top 25 opponents this season, Arizona is now 8-2 and has three wins against Top 3 teams.
 
Arizona (25–2, 12-2 Big 12) held the Cougars without a field goal for nearly 10 minutes in the second half, turning a back-and-forth game into a decisive Wildcats surge. Houston went scoreless from the 14:16 mark until a free throw with 7:16 remaining, a stretch that fueled a 12–0 Arizona run and pushed the Wildcats to their largest lead of the afternoon at 60–50.
 
Dell'Orso once again provided a spark off the bench, scoring 22 points for the second straight game. His 22 matched his career high in an Arizona uniform, and he reached that mark efficiently, going 8 of 14 from the field, and matched his career high with four steals. His go-ahead 3-pointer with 11:35 remaining flipped a 50–48 deficit and kick-started Arizona's game-breaking run.
 
Ivan Kharchenkov added 16 points and nine rebounds, while Jaden Bradley finished with 17 points and a team-high eight assists. Arizona dominated in the paint with a 38–20 scoring advantage and converted 16 Houston turnovers into 16 points.
 
The Wildcats controlled much of the first half, leading by as many as 10, but the Cougars (23–4, 11-3) used second-chance points to trim the margin to 36–31 at halftime. Houston briefly went ahead 44–42 early in the second half behind Kingston Flemings, who scored 15 points, and Emanuel Sharp, who added 14.
 
But Houston's offense unraveled as Arizona tightened its rotations and contested nearly every look. The Cougars missed 12 consecutive shots from the field during the decisive drought, finishing just 11 of 32 after halftime.
 
Arizona pushed the margin to 10 at multiple points in the final six minutes. Dell'Orso and Bradley combined to score 14 of the Wildcats' final 23 points, steadying the offense each time Houston threatened a rally.
 
Krivas and Awaka combined for 10 second-half rebounds as Arizona closed the game with a 22–14 advantage on the glass after halftime.
 
The win keeps the Wildcats atop the Big 12 Conference race with four games remaining. Next up for Arizona is a trip to Baylor on Tuesday.