Field Level Media
Mar 2, 2019
Darius McNeill scored 17 points to lead a balanced attack as California won back-to-back Pac-12 Conference games, defeating visiting Washington State 76-69 Saturday in Berkeley, Calif.
Paris Austin added 12 points and Justice Sueing and 7-foot-3 freshman Connor Vanover each scored 10 for the Golden Bears (7-22, 2-15 Pac-12), who snapped a 16-game losing streak when they upset No. 25 Washington, the league leaders, Thursday night for their first conference victory of the season.
Austin, Sueing and Vanover tied for the team-high with six rebounds apiece.
Washington State freshman forward CJ Elleby, whose father, Bill, played at Cal from 1988-92, led the Cougars (11-18, 4-12) with 20 points. He also had 10 rebounds and seven assists.
Senior teammate Robert Franks scored 18 points and had a game-high 12 rebounds and five assists. No other Washington State player scored in double digits, as the Cougars shot nearly 42 percent from the field (25 of 60 overall, 13 of 31 on 3-point attempts). WSU converted just 6 of 12 free throws.
The Cougars suffered their third straight defeat and were swept on their Bay Area trip after a 98-50 defeat Thursday at Stanford.
Cal shot 46.7 percent from the field (28 of 60), although the Golden Bears were just 4-for-14 from beyond the 3-point line. They were 16 of 26 at the free-throw line.
The Golden Bears led by 15 points with 10:58 remaining before the Cougars cut the deficit to six, 65-59, on a 3-pointer by Franks with 5:31 to go.
A dunk by Vanover and a driving layup by McNeill pushed Cal's advantage back to double digits. The Cougars never got closer than seven points the rest of the way.
The Golden Bears forced 20 turnovers, turning those into a 30-6 edge in points off turnovers. Cal also had a 46-22 advantage in points in the paint.
Austin scored nine points in the first half as Cal took a 41-29 advantage. Franks scored 12 before the intermission.
--Field Level Media