No. 20 Arizona leads the Missouri Tigers 41-36 at halftime. Freshman Rawle Alkins is leading the way for Arizona with 11 points and three rebounds.

It was the defense that got things going for the Wildcats. They held the Tigers scoreless through the first four minutes of the half, and the Tigers missed their first four shots. The Wildcats got it done on the glass as well, outrebounding the Tigers 19-16.

The Wildcats hit their first two three point shots, from senior Kadeem Allen and freshman Rawle Alkins, and it propelled the Wildcats to an early double-digit lead. Arizona had one of their most efficient halves of the season from three-point land finishing 7-14 in the half.

Overall, it was a dominant start for Arizona, but the lead could have been stretched out even further if not for early turnovers. The Wildcats turned it over five times in the first five minutes and it kept the Tigers in the game. Arizona settled down and caused six turnovers of their own,

The Tigers have been slightly below average from the field all season entering the matchup shooting 41.1 percent, and against a more athletic Arizona lineup, stumbled out of the gates going 2-16 to begin the game.

Missouri finished the last six minutes of the half on an 18-8 run, and closed the gap to five points. Arizona led by as many as 17 points in the half.

Follow Christopher Deak on Twitter.