Cal beats Oregon St. 77-63, stays tied atop Pac-12

BERKELEY, Calif. — Jorge Gutierrez and David Kravish scored 17 points each to lead California to a 77-63 win over Oregon State on Saturday night to keep the Bears tied for first place in the Pac-12 with Washington.

Justin Cobbs had 10 points and 13 assists for the Bears (22-6, 12-3), while Allen Crabbe scored 16 points.

Devon Collier and Roberto Nelson had 14 points each and Angus Brandt 11 for Oregon State (15-12, 5-10). Jared Cunningham, the Pac-12's leading scorer, had 10 points.

After losing a 12-point first-half lead and trailing 34-32 at halftime, Cal opened the second half with a 27-13 run to build a 59-47 lead with 9:25 remaining.

Harper Kamp and Gutierrez had eight points each during the surge. After Crabbe drilled a 3-point shot, Gutierrez put the Bears up 57-47 with a three-point play. Then Gutierrez scored inside, bumping Cal's lead to 12 points.

Kamp had 13 points.

Oregon State cut Cal's lead to 62-56, but the Bears went on a 7-2 run to regain control. Cobbs ignited the run with a slam dunk, Crabbe hit a 3-pointer, and Bak Bak scored on a putback.

Gutierrez had eight rebounds and Kamp seven in what was likely their final Cal home game. The Bears finish the regular season with three road games, then head to the Pac-12 Tournament.

Cal typically plays man-to-man defense, but it built most of its lead in the second half after switching to a zone that seemed to get Oregon State out of sync.

Cal opened the game on a 10-0 run - the Bears held Oregon State scoreless for nearly six minutes - and led 16-4 with just over 11 minutes left in the first half. But Oregon State battled back, getting 11 points from Nelson off the bench and eight from Collier for a halftime lead.

After the Bears' fast start, Oregon State started causing them trouble with a 1-3-1 zone defense, just as it did on Jan. 5 in a 92-85 victory over Cal in Corvallis, Ore. The Beavers applied pressure high and on the wings, forcing the Bears into turnovers and poor shots.