Jan 09 2009
Cal Bears win again - extend streak to eight games
Patrick Christopher led all scorers with 22 points and Jamal Boykin may have had his best game in blue and gold as the California Golden Bears (14-2, 3-0 Pac-10) downed the Washington State Cougars (8-6, 0-3 Pac-10) in Pullman, Washington Friday night 57-50.
Both teams went back and forth in the first half, with neither able to take a commanding lead. There were only three lead changes during the game, all in the first half, and seven ties throughout the game. In the end, Washington State’s defense controlled the tempo of the game, but Cal’s offense was able to win it.
For the night, Cal shot 50.0% from the floor and 35.7% from beyond the three-point line. Washington State continued their shooting woes by shooting just a little better from the field than they did from the arc, 37.7% to 35.7%.
Christopher was the main offensive weapon for the Bears, having near perfect shooting touch. He was 9-14 from the field and 4-6 from the arc. More importantly, he was the clutch player when Cal needed points at critical times. Washington State took an early lead in the first half 9-6, but it was Christopher who hit the three to tie the game. Later on, with the game tied at 22, Christopher hit a jumper to put Cal ahead and they never trailed after that. With the game still in doubt late in the game at 51-47, it was an alley-oop dunk by Christopher that created the Bears’ final surge and leading them to the victory.
Enough can’t be written about the contributions that Boykin made to the win. His 6-12 shooting gave him 12 points and he dominated the boards, leading all players with 14 rebounds.
Jamal Boykin was very good. He really controlled the boards and gave us some buckets early when we weren’t able to get much.
- Mike Montgomery on the play of Boykin
The Bears now take an eight game-winning streak to Seattle to take on the Washington Huskies on Saturday. With Washington, you can expect to see more scoring than you did last night. For Montgomery and the Bears, they just want to see the same result.
Next game info:
California Golden Bears at Washington Huskies
Date: Saturday, Jan. 10, 2009
Location: Seattle, Wash.
Time: 3:00 p.m. PST
Coverage
TV: Fox Sports Net Northwest
Radio: KYOU (1550 AM)
