HOUSTON — Anthony Dell’Orso tied a season high with 22 points and No. 4 Arizona toppled second-ranked Houston 73-66 on Saturday to move into sole possession of first place in the Big 12 Conference.
Arizona (25-2, 12-2), which opened the season 23-0, won its second straight game following consecutive losses to then-No. 9 Kansas and then- 16th-ranked Texas Tech, that knocked the team out of the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25 poll.
The Wildcats were down by two before scoring the next 12 points to make it 60-50 with about five minutes remaining. The Cougars missed eight consecutive shots and had three turnovers in that stretch to allow Arizona to build the lead.
Houston (23-4, 11-3) hadn’t scored in about eight minutes when Emanuel Sharp made two free throws with 4 ½ minutes to go. Kalifa Sakho made two more free throws to cut the lead to 60-54 with less than four minutes remaining.
It had been more than 10 minutes since the Cougars made a field goal when a 3-pointer by Kingston Flemings got them within 61-57, but Arizona got four straight points by Jaden Bradley to pad the lead with just over a minute left.
Flemings had 17 points and Sharp added 14 for the Cougars, who lost consecutive games for the first time this season after falling 70-67 at No. 6 Iowa State on Monday night to end a six-game winning streak.
The Cougars struggled to take care of the ball, committing 12 turnovers that led to 16 points for the Wildcats.
Arizona guard Jaden Bradley makes a layup against the Houston in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, in Houston. Credit: AP/Maria Lysaker
Arizona led by as many as 10 in the first half and was up by four early in the second half before the Cougars used an 8-2 run to make it 44-42, giving them their first lead of the game with about 14 minutes left.
Up next
Arizona visits Baylor Tuesday night.
Houston visits No. 8 Kansas Monday night.