Through the first half of No. 12 Arizona’s exhibition game against Humboldt State, the Wildcats showed flashes of their top-15 talented but their early 20 point lead shrunk to 46-35 at half at the McKale Center.

Arizona controlled all phases of the game early and built 30-10 lead, but Humboldt State battled back with a barrage of threes by HSU forward Alec Williams. Still the UA controlled the glass, outrebounding the Lumberjacks 24-17 and played aggressive defense, forcing nine turnovers.

Senior Solomon Hill led the Wildcats in scoring with 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting and senior guard Mark Lyons was right behind him with 11 points, including 3-for-5 from three.

Two freshmen — forward Grant Jerrett and center Kaleb Tarczewski — started for the Wildcats along the transfer Lyons. The only two returning starters from last season were Hill and guard Nick Johnson.

In stark contrast to Arizona’s exhibition loss last season to Seattle Pacific, the Wildcats came out of the gate aggressive on the way to an 11-0 opening run. Tarczewski grabbed six boards in the half while Lyons and Ashley both contributed four.

The one area where Arizona has struggled has been defending the three-point line, and the Lumberjacks have taken advantage. Williams went 3-for-3 behind the line and as a team Humboldt State is shooting 5-for-9 from the field.