Unable to hit free throws with any consistency down the stretch, the Golden Bears still found a recipe for success with some old-fashioned defense and rebounding.
Brittany Boyd scored 15 points, Reshanda Gray and Afure Jemerigbe both rebounded missed free throws in the late going and Layshia Clarendon figured in a defensive stop that prevented a last-second shot as Cal hung on to beat the No. 20 Buffaloes, 53-49, Sunday in Boulder, Colo.
Jemerigbe and Gray added 10 points apiece for Cal (12-1 overall, 2-0 Pacific-12 Conference), which is off to its best start.
Chucky Jeffery scored 10 of her 13 points in the second half, leading a rally by Colorado (11-2, 0-2).
PAC-12 WOMEN
At Washington 76, Arizona 65: Redshirt freshman Talia Walton scored a career-high 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to fuel a second-half surge as the Huskies (10-3, 2-0) defeated the Wildcats (9-5, 1-1).
At Washington State 77, Arizona State 65: Guard Tia Presley scored a career-high 27 points to lead the Cougars (5-8, 1-1) past the Sun Devils (8-6, 0-2).
No. 4 Stanford 70, at Utah 56: Chiney Ogwumike scored 20 points, Sara James added a career-high 18 and the Cardinal (13-1, 2-0) extended their conference winning streak to 80 games and improved to 15-0 against the Utes (9-4, 0-2).
No 16 UCLA 68, at Oregon State 64: Alyssia Brewer scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Bruins (11-2, 2-0) over the Beavers (6-8, 0-2)
USC 67, at Oregon 62: Ariya Crook and Cassie Harberts led all scorers with 16 points each to push the Trojans (5-8, 2-0) past the Ducks (2-12, 0-2).
PAC-12 MEN
At Arizona State 65, Colorado 56: Carrick Felix scored 20 points, Jordan Bachynski had 16 points and eight blocked shots, and the Sun Devils (13-2, 2-0) pulled away from the cold-shooting Buffaloes (10-4, 0-2).
Oregon 79, at Oregon State 66: Damyean Dotson scored 21 points and the Ducks (12-2, 1-0) used a 9-0 second-half run to hold off the rival Beavers (10-4, 0-1).
TOP 25 HIGHLIGHTS
Alyssa Thomas had 20 points and 15 rebounds to help the No. 8 Maryland women beat No. 19 Florida State, 71-64, at home, ending the Seminoles’ five-game winning streak. … Bashaara Graves scored a career-high 23 points and No. 12 Tennessee rallied in the second half to beat No. 10 Georgia, 79-66, in Knoxville. … In men’s hoop, Brandon Triche had 20 points and James Southerland scored 12 of his 17 in the second half Sunday to help No. 7 Syracuse overcome South Florida on the road.
The Associated Press
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.