TUCSON, Ariz. – A run late in the first half gave host Arizona an early advantage and a comeback bid by the Cal men's basketball team couldn't quite close the gap as the Bears dropped a 62-57 decision to the No. 9 Wildcats at McKale Center.

Jabari Bird led Cal (18-7, 9-4 Pac-12) with 19 points. Kameron Rooks added a strong night in the post with 10 points and six rebounds while Grant Mullins led the way from outside with 13 points on 5 of7 shooting. Kobi Simmons led Arizona (23-3, 12-1) with 13.

Arizona gained an edge just before halftime as a first half filled with three-point theatrics ended with the Wildcats scoring the final seven points of the period to take a 35-24 lead into the locker room.

Before that late run though, both teams had to find ways to score with their primary threats stuck on the bench with foul trouble. For Cal, that meant operating without Ivan Rabb as the Bears' star forward played just 10 minutes of the first 20. The answer came from the perimeter, as Mullins and Bird each knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and Stephen Domingo added another.

Meanwhile, Arizona fought foul trouble for forward Lauri Markkanen and a spate of ineffectiveness from guard Allonzo Trier. The Wildcats also came up with offense from long range, as Simmons took Trier's spot and hit two 3's and Kadeem Allen added two more en route to a half in which Arizona shot 80 percent (4 for 5) from 3-point range and 51.9 percent from the floor.

Arizona maintained that lead through the early stages of the second half but, by the 10-minute mark, Cal had climbed back within striking distance and trailed only by six at 45-39. Back to back buckets by Dusan Ristic pushed Arizona's lead higher though, and with 8:33 left Cal had to call time out down 47-39.

Using its typically strong effort on defense, Cal stayed close throughout and a layup by Mullins cut Arizona's lead to just four with 2:20 remaining. A pair of Markkanen free throws pushed the Wildcats' lead back to six and Cal couldn't get closer than four as Arizona held on for the victory.

Cal returns to the Bay Area for its next three games with a stretch that begins with a trip to Stanford for a 7 p.m. tip on Friday. That game will be broadcast live by FS1. The Bears' final homestand of the 2016-17 season begins on Feb. 22 when Cal hosts a "Gold Out" game against nationally ranked Oregon. Tip time for that game is set for 6 p.m. The home slate concludes Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. against Oregon State.