PHOENIX— Winning in all 11 games by an average of a 20-point margin of victory in games after a loss in the Tommy Lloyd era, it didn't look like it would be same dominance following a heartbreak for fourth-ranked Arizona at first.

But the Wildcats were able to turn it around and dominate in the second half to keep its streak alive and put it back on track, taking down Alabama 87-74 Wednesday night in front of 11,812 fans in the inaugural Jerry Calengelo Hall of Fame Series at Footprint Center.

"This was a home game for us," Oumar Ballo said after the victory. "Wherever we play, Arizona fans show up and today they showed up and they helped out a lot. ... It means a lot for us and for the program, so nothing but grateful for coming out tonight to support us."

UA center Oumar Ballo and swing-forward Pelle Larsson led the way for the Wildcats, each with 16 points and a combined +/- of 23.

Missing its first six shots, and allowing Alabama to grab five offensive rebounds and a quick 9-0 lead within the first four minutes, the Wildcats were sluggish to start the contest. With 8:57 left in the first half, Lloyd’s first technical foul as head coach was assessed which led to a shower of disapproval and energy from as many if not more Wildcat fans at a sold-out McKale, in Phoenix. It seemed as though the UA used all of the noise and uproar to its advantage, outrebounding Alabama and only allowing the Crimson Tide to shoot 31% (11-of-35) from the field to take a 1-point lead after being down as much as nine early at the end of the first half.

However, despite limiting Alabama’s offensive attack, which ranks No. 1 in adjusted efficiency, per KenPom, the Wildcats were shooting themselves in the foot in hopes of exposing the Crimson Tide’s shaky defense which allows 77.6 points per game coming into the game, only shooting 42% from the floor, along with nine turnovers.

The Crimson Tide came out of the gates running and gunning just like they did to start the first, going on a 10-2 run in the first 3:29. Arizona was able to combat this and rally a run of its own, led by its bench, with it pouring in seven out points along with the Wildcats forcing seven turnovers to spark a 13-4 run over the next six minutes to take back the lead.

The Wildcats were also relentless in the second half in the fastbreak, scoring nine points in transition, which ultimately helped propel the overall team's momentum and play.

"Sometimes you play in these arenas, you're playing with a new basketball, just didn't a great feel, maybe it takes a little bit for guys to get comfortable, but we definitely got our transition game going in the second half."

The Wildcats didn’t let go of the lead the rest of the way, thanks to making 12 free throws since taking the lead back. Pelle Larsson was the catalyst of the second half, logging nine points and three steals. Arizona finished the game on a 31-20 run since taking the lead back with 10 minutes to play.

Despite not putting the numbers on the stat sheet, UA sophomore guard Jaden Bradley, who played his first game against his old team, played some of the most efficient basketball he’s played all season, tying KJ Lewis with a 23 +/-.

The Wildcats, after getting bullied in the paint and losing the outrebounding battle in its first loss of the season to Purdue, made sure to attack the paint harder, snagging a season-high 48 rebounds to the Crimson Tide’s 38 to capture their ninth win of the season.

"I think [this bounce-back game] is really important," Lloyd said. "We've obviously got off to a good start and have a good team but you got to keep producing results. There's no shame in losing to Purdue. ... For us to bounce back today, it was a great, and we have a great opportunity against a really good FAU team on the weekend."

Arizona (9-1) will travel to Las Vegas, in which Wildcat fans call "McKale North" this Saturday at 1 p.m. (MST) will take on No. 14 FAU, which will be televised on FOX.

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