BERKELEY, Calif. -- When No. 18 Arizona made just three of its first 19 shots from the field and had only six points nearly 11 minutes into Friday night's game at California, the Wildcats looked very much like what they were -- a team that starts three freshmen who have never played in a Pac-12 game.

"We're a young team in our first conference road team, and we looked the part," Arizona coach Sean Miller said.

The Wildcats then shot 56.8 percent from that point on and, aided by the return of point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright, rallied to beat Cal 67-62 in the Pac-12 opener for both teams.

Dusan Ristic had 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field to lead Arizona (12-2). Freshman Kobi Simmons had 14 points, including 10 straight in a pivotal section of the second half, and freshman Lauri Markkanen added 13 points and 10 boards.

Ivan Rabb had 16 points and 16 rebounds for Cal (9-4), which lost its second straight home game after having its 27-game home winning streak halted in the previous game.

Jabari Bird also scored 16 points for the Bears and freshman Charlie Moore had 12 on 3-of-12 shooting from the floor with four turnovers.

Jackson-Cartwright had just two points in 20 minutes of action after missing the past six games with a high ankle sprain. He did not start but was in the game during the Wildcats' second-half surge.

"We wouldn't have been able to win if Parker didn't play," Miller said.

The Wildcats' slow start helped the Bears produce a 15-0 run that turned a 6-4 Arizona lead into a 19-6 Cal advantage with 9:23 left in the half.

"We opened the game a little tentative and scared," Rustic said.

The Wildcats then began to whittle away. After Cal took an eight-point lead in the first minute of the second half, Arizona went on a 15-2 run that put the Wildcats ahead. Simmons scored 10 straight Arizona points during that surge, which gave the Wildcats a 41-36 advantage with 14:03 left.

Cal regained a one-point lead on a Rabb bucket with 11:25 to go. However, Rabb picked up his fourth foul with 10:33 left and had to sit down.

"That fourth foul on Rabb changed the dynamics of the game," Miller said.

That helped Arizona move out to a nine-point lead with a Markkanen 3-pointer, making it 59-50 with 4:34 left.

"When Ivan got in foul trouble, that changed the momentum for us in the second half," Cal coach Cuonzo Martin said. "We just got to find a way to keep him out of foul trouble."

Most of Arizona's second-half offensive success came off dribble drives against Cal's man-to-man defense, as the Wildcats got to the basket repeatedly.

"Guys that were guarding the ball didn't take pride in defending," Martin said.

Jackson-Cartwright orchestrated the Wildcats' attack, which was far more fluid and aggressive in the second half. The Wildcats didn't attempt a 3-point shot in the second half until Markkanen's back-breaking long-range bucket with 4:34 left.

"It's great to have Parker back," Rustic said. "He gives us a different dimension. He's the only true point guard on the team."

Cal, which came into the game ranked fifth nationally in field-goal percentage defense at 36.6 percent, even went into a zone late in the game.

It was too late.

Cal did make a late surge and was within four when Bird launched a 3-pointer with eight seconds left that rimmed out.

NOTES: California had its 27-game home winning streak halted in a 56-52 loss to No. 12 Virginia in the Bears' final nonconference game on Dec. 21. ... Arizona G Parker Jackson-Cartwright had not played since injuring his ankle against Texas Southern on Nov. 30. ... Arizona G Allonzo Trier travels with the team but has yet to play this season because of an unspecified eligibility issue. There is no indication when or if he will return. ... Sean Miller has 200 wins as Arizona's head coach. ... Cal beat Arizona in last season's game in Berkeley. ... Cal hosts Arizona State on Sunday and Arizona plays at Stanford the same day.