TUSCON, Ariz.— Utah Valley was unable to hold on to a 12-point halftime lead in an 80-69 loss to Arizona at the McKale Center on Thursday night in Tucson.

The loss drops the Wolverines to 6-4 on the season, snapping their five-game winning streak. The Wildcats pushed their record to 7-2 on the year and extended their non-conference home winning streak to 52 games.
 
"They turned up the intensity defensively and we responded really well in the first half, taking the pressure and playing with more force and sharing the ball," said Utah Valley head coach Mark Pope. "When they turned that intensity to another level, the ball got sticky and that is like our Achilles heel. Our offense is special when we can play with enough force that we keep the ball moving and we couldn't do that in the second half."
 
The first half began with runs by each team as Utah Valley rushed out to a 7-2 lead over the first minute of the game before Arizona answered with an 8-0 run of their own to make it 7-10. The teams traded before the Wolverines used a 21-4 run to push their lead to 32-22 with 5:48 to go in the half. The Wolverines dominated the paint and took advantage of several Wildcat turnovers during the opening period. Utah Valley finished scored the final five points of the half to take a 41-29 advantage into the break.
 
Arizona started the second half on a 16-2 run to take a 45-43 lead with 16:49 to go in the game. After trading baskets, the Wildcats used a 26-7 spurt to take a 76-62 lead with 2:48 left in the contest. Arizona got hot in the second half, making eight threes while shooting over 60 percent from the floor. The Wildcats also took advantage of six Wolverine turnovers in the second half, turning them into 11 points.
 
After shooting 50 percent from the floor in the opening half, Utah Valley cooled off, making just one of eight shots from beyond the arc and shooting just 31.8 percent from the field. The Wolverines were outrebounded 36-26 but still managed to hold a 32-28 edge in points in the paint. Utah Valley converted 16 Wildcat turnovers into 24 points and led for over 20 minutes of the game but were unable to finish off the upset.
 
"This is a great team and obviously they've won a bunch of games at home and I'm proud of my guys," said Pope. "By the time the season ends, we have to learn how to finish that game and win that game."
 
Jake Toolson led the Wolverines with 20 points on 6-11 shooting from the field, including a perfect 7-7 from the charity stripe, to go along with a team-high 8 rebounds. Conner Toolson and TJ Washington were also in double figures, finishing with 13 and 11 points, respectively.

Utah Valley continues its Arizona road trip on Saturday at Northern Arizona. The game is set to tip at 6:00pm MST and will be broadcasted on Pluto TV and aired on ESPN 960AM.