California beats UCLA 85-72 in Pac-10 semifinals

UCLA guards Michael Roll (20) and Malcolm Lee leave the court after an 85-72 loss to California in the Pac-10 tournament semifinals on Friday night at Staples Center (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times / March 12, 2009).

"To have a losing record is very, very disappointing with the success we've enjoyed the previous five seasons," said Howland, whose tenure includes three consecutive Final Four appearances. "The key to it all is recruiting. We have three players that are coming in, and I'm going out to recruit at least a couple more. That's the key."

California beats UCLA 85-72 in Pac-10 semifinals
By BETH HARRIS (AP) – 7 hours ago

LOS ANGELES — California came out rushing against a UCLA team eager to keep its slim NCAA tournament hopes alive. Once the Golden Bears settled down, the Bruins were quickly sent packing for the season.

Jerome Randle scored 24 points and Theo Robertson had 15 of his 20 in the second half when Cal dominated on its way to an 85-72 victory Friday night in the Pac-10 tournament semifinals.

"In the second half, we threw the first punch," Randle said. "We were able to sustain the lead."

The top-seeded Golden Bears (23-9) advanced to Saturday's title game, where they'll play No. 3 Washington (23-9), a 79-64 winner over Stanford.

Patrick Christopher added 16 points for the Bears, seeking their first league tournament title to go with their first outright regular-season championship in 50 years.

Michael Roll scored a career-high 27 points in his final game for fifth-seeded UCLA (14-18), which ended the season with its worst record since 2003-04, coach Ben Howland's first in Westwood.

"To have a losing record is very, very disappointing with the success we've enjoyed the previous five seasons," said Howland, whose tenure includes three consecutive Final Four appearances. "The key to it all is recruiting. We have three players that are coming in, and I'm going out to recruit at least a couple more. That's the key."

Jerime Anderson added 15. Freshman Reeves Nelson, who powered UCLA to a quarterfinal upset of Arizona, finished with eight points.

"I don't care about the career high or anything like that," Roll said. "It's just unfortunate that we lost and I'm done."

Cal made 13-of-14 free throws over the final 5:13, with Randle hitting all six of his attempts.

Randle, the Pac-10 player of the year, surpassed 2001 player of the year Sean Lampley as Cal's career scoring leader with 1,790 points.

"Sean can stop biting his nails," Randle said. "He's been calling me and asking when I'm going to do it and I said, `Be patient.' It's good I can do that and still win."

The Bears came out playing defense in the second half, keeping UCLA scoreless on its first three possessions while taking their first lead, 40-39, on a 3-pointer by Robertson.

Robertson, Cal's career 3-point shooting leader, hit three long-range baskets in the first eight minutes of the second half, when the Bears led 52-44. They shot 71 percent over the final 20 minutes, while limiting the Bruins to 38 percent.

"Everything I got was the product of us playing good defense and getting out on the break," Robertson said.

UCLA was outscored 17-5 in that stretch and dissolved in a sequence of errors, including an airball and missed 3-pointer by Nikola Dragovic, Malcolm Lee missing an open pass underneath the basket, and a shot clock violation.

"We tried to get inside a little more. We had a couple turnovers," Roll said. "They came out trying to apply more pressure to me, trying to stop me from getting the ball because obviously I had a good first half."

The Bruins got no closer than seven points over the final six minutes.

They opened the game on a 20-10 run. Roll scored 10 points in the run, including his three-point play that ended the spurt during which they shot 61 percent. He went over 1,000 career points in his final game, finishing with 1,008.

"UCLA came out with a real passion. We knew they'd be fired up," Stanford coach Mike Montgomery said. "This was their opportunity to go to the NCAA tournament. It took us a while to adjust. We got more aggressive."

Randle got Cal back into the game, scoring nine points in a 14-5 burst that drew the Bears within one.

Anderson sparked the Bruins the rest of the half, scoring all seven of his points in a 14-11 run that kept them ahead 39-35 at the break. UCLA got key defensive stops in that stretch, too.
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UCLA basketball: Cal's hot second half eliminates Bruins
by Chris Foster
The LA Times
March 12, 2010 | 8:39 pm

California’s basketball team seemed to recall that it was the Pacific 10 Conference champion.

That seemed to slip the Bears’ mind through a first half that was controlled by UCLA. But it was clear to everyone from the moment California took the court in the second half and cruised to an 85-72 victory in the Pacific Life Pac-10 Tournament semifinals at Staples Center on Friday.

The Bears (23-9) will face the winner of Washington and Stanford on Saturday afternoon.

For a half, UCLA (14-18) appeared ready to mess with the Bears’ manifest destiny in this tournament. The Bruins came out hot and led by as many as 10 in the first half and were up, 39-35, at halftime.

But the Bears started the second half with a 21-5 run for a 54-46 lead. Theo Robertson had 10 points in that run, as California made nine of its first 11 shots.

Robertson (20 points), Jerome Randle (24 points) and Patrick Christopher (16 points) picked apart UCLA’s man-to-man defense throughout the second half. The Bears shot 71% in the second half and 60% for the game.

The Bears pushed their lead to 64-51 on a layup by Christopher, then nursed it through the final eight minutes. The Bears made 13 of 14 free throws in the last five minutes.

Michael Roll seemed determined to extend UCLA's season in the first half, scoring 16 points to give the Bruins a 39-35 halftime lead.

The Bruins made eight of their first 13 shots, with Roll doing the heavy lifting. He was four for five from the field, scoring 10 of UCLA’s first 20 points.

Roll was fouled sinking a short jumper, with his free throw giving UCLA a 20-10 lead with 12:30 left in the first half. The bruins led, 39-30, with 1:20 left in the first half. The Bears scored the last five points of the half, then continued that run in the second half.

Roll had 27 points to lead UCLA.
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California finishes off UCLA
By Chris Foster
The Los Angeles Times
Fri 12 Mar 2010

There was a moment where anything seemed possible for UCLA.

California's Jorge Gutierrez went hard to the basket with a minute left in the first half and was called for a charging foul. Everyone leaped off the UCLA bench with the Bruins up by nine points.

There was a moment, however, when reality was apparent. During a timeout eight minutes into the second half, with players huddled around him, Bruins Coach Ben Howland slammed his clipboard to the court.

The downward arc continued, until the moment where California was headed to the Pacific Life Pacific 10 tournament championship game, after an 85-72 victory at Staples Center, and UCLA was headed home with a 14-18 record.

"They've had three losing seasons here in 60 years," freshman forward Reeves Nelson said. "No one wants their name attached to that."

Nelson and Co. will forever have it on their resume. Preventing a repeat performance now becomes the task.

The Bruins saw what a team needs to win the Pac-10 title. California (23-9), the regular season champion, shot 70% in the second half, leaning on senior guards Jerome Randle, Theo Robertson and Patrick Christopher.

The victory put California in the title game today against Washington. The Bruins will be at home, working on avoiding back-to-back losing seasons.

Asked if a second consecutive losing season would be harmful to a program that went to three Final Fours in the last four seasons, Coach Ben Howland said, "I'm not going do ‘what if.' What if … what if. We will get better. This program will not being staying down very long, that's for sure."

The Bears didn't stay down very long Friday.

They trailed, 39-30, when Gutierrez was called for the foul. The Bruins had done everything they needed to that point, then got careless. A rushed shot by Michael Roll and a turnover by Nelson allowed California to score the last five points of the half.

"You could feel the momentum changing," UCLA guard Malcolm Lee said.

By the time Howland spiked his clipboard, the momentum was moving the Bruins toward next season.

California made nine of its first 11 shots in the second half. Robertson scored 10 points in a 21-5 run for a 54-46 lead. Robertson (20 points), Randle (24 points) and Christopher (16 points) picked apart UCLA's man-to-man defense, pushing the lead to 64-51. The Bears nursed that to the end, making 13 of 14 free throws in the last five minutes.

"Basically we started playing the type of basketball we've been playing for the past month or so," California Coach Mike Montgomery said.

So did the Bruins.

UCLA shot 58% in the first half. Roll, whose career-high 27 points put him over 1,000 for his career, made four of his first five shots, as the Bruins led by as many as 10 points in the first half.

"We lost, my last game here," said Roll, who was part of two Final Four teams. "I don't really care about the career high or anything like that. We lost and I'm done."

UCLA shot 39% in the second half and was outrebounded, 27-23. The defense was such that the Bruins appeared to be nothing more than powder blue pylons as Robertson and Randle blew past. Of the Bears' 17 second half field goals, 12 were layups.

"We came out hard, because we knew this could be our last game," Nelson said. "Those three big guards wore us down."

Howland said to prevent that again he will look for an infusion of talent, despite having nine scholarship players returning and three recruits signed.

"We have three players who are coming in and I'm going to go out and recruit at least couple more," Howland said. "The key is recruiting."
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Pac-10 men: Cal beats UCLA to reach conference title game
By Jeff Faraudo
The Silicon Valley Mercury News
Posted: 03/12/2010 10:49:47 PM PST
Updated: 03/13/2010 04:40:29 AM PST


LOS ANGELES — Cal has reached a point in its evolution that a 10-point first-half deficit against a team with a losing record — even one with UCLA stitched on its jersey — is no cause for panic.

The Golden Bears didn't drink a magic potion or unveil a secret new defensive scheme to easily come from behind for an 85-72 victory over the Bruins in their Pac-10 tournament semifinal game Friday night at the Staples Center.

"Basically, we just started playing the kind of basketball we've been playing the last month or so," coach Mike Montgomery said. "Obviously, it doesn't hurt to shoot 70 percent in the second half, either."

Having won nine of 10 against conference opponents for the first time in 13 years, Cal (23-9) will meet Washington in today's 3 p.m. final.

Armed with as many wins as any Cal team since 1960 — and the confidence that goes with it — the Bears don't want to stop on the doorstep of their first Pac-10 tournament crown.

"There's not a better feeling than to go out and really play hard and give ourselves a chance to win (today)," senior Theo Robertson said.

"I'm really excited," Jerome Randle added.

The 5-foot-8 point guard had extra reason to feel that way after scoring 24 points and breaking Sean Lampley's 9-year-old Cal career scoring record. Randle, who won Pac-10 player of the year honors after helping the Bears to their first regular-season title in 50 seasons, has 1,790 points.

"It's hard to imagine setting a scoring record like that. There's been a lot of great players at Cal," Montgomery said. "He should be very proud of it. I'm most proud of the fact that it comes with winning the league, playing with other good players, but allowing those teammates to also have great senior seasons."

It's that balance — seniors Robertson (20 points), Patrick Christopher (16) and Jamal Boykin (10) combined for 46 more points — that allowed the Bears to rally past the Bruins.

UCLA (14-18), which entered the season with just two losing seasons since 1948, led 20-10 after a three-point play by Tyler Honeycutt with 13:04 left in the first half.

Cal stayed calm.

"We didn't back down," Randle said. "We knew we had to defend and get out in transition."

The Bears also knew they had Jorge Gutierrez coming off the bench. As often is the case, he transformed the game's tone, mixing it up on defense — even creating a UCLA turnover with a hard pass that caromed off his face.

"Sometimes we get a little complacent and here comes Jorge and everything changes," Montgomery said.

Cal hadn't played particularly well in the first half, yet trailed just 39-35 at halftime.

Trailing 44-42 four minutes into the second half, the Bears scored 10 straight points, holding UCLA scoreless for nearly six minutes to take a 54-44 lead.

Twelve layups or dunks allowed the Bears to convert 70.8 percent (17-for-24) of their shots in the second half. They also made their final 11 free throws.

Randle's record-breaking point came on a free throw with 2:08 left in the first half.

"Now Sean Lampley can stop biting his nails because it's over with," Randle joked about his fellow Chicago native.

Christopher's point total boosted him past Kevin Johnson and Joe Shipp into fourth on Cal's career chart with 1,670 points.

Until the primary goals are attained, the Bears consider those statistical footnotes.

"Sean Lampley actually texted me this morning and told me we might be the first (Cal) team to win a regular conference and then win a Pac-10 title," Randle said. "Hopefully, we can get it done."
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UCLA basketball: Cal 85, Bruins 72
by Al Balderas, staff writer
The OC Register
March 12th, 2010, 8:26 pm

LOS ANGELES — Top-seeded Cal used a 17-5 run to erase a four-point halftime deficit and went on to beat UCLA, 85-72, Friday night at Staples Center.

The loss put an end to UCLA’s season.

UCLA entered the tournament as the No. 5 seed but needed to win the tournament for a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

The Bruins led through most of the first half and built a 39-30 lead with 1:22 to go, but Cal scored the final five points of the first half. That included a 3-pointer by Jerome Randle with 3.1 seconds remaining in the half.

The Golden Bears continued the run in the second half, scoring 17 of the first 22 points. The Golden Bears connected on 13 of their first 18 field goals of the second half (72.2 percent), while the Bruins were 4 for 14 (28.5 percent) during the same stretch.

The Bruins got as close as six points, with 1:28 remaining in the game but Cal was able to stretch its lead back out for the victory.

Michael Roll scored 27 points to lead the Bruins. Jerime Anderson came off the bench to add 15.

The Golden Bears were led by Randle and Theo Robertson, who scored 24 and 20 points respectively.
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PAC-10 TOURNAMENT Cal 85, UCLA 72
Hitting their stride

Bears take control with blistering 2nd half

by Vittorio Tafur, Chronicle Staff Writer
SF Chronicle
Saturday, March 13, 2010


City of Angels -- Winning begets winning, and Cal, oozing confidence, has no plans on stopping anytime soon.

The Bears shot 71 percent in the second half, and determined coach Mike Montgomery used only seven players in an 85-72 win over UCLA in the semifinals of the Pac-10 tournament Friday night.

Jerome Randle scored 24 points and broke the school's all-time scoring record as Cal won its sixth game in a row and the ninth of its last 10. Theo Robertson had 15 of his 20 in the second half when Cal, down 10 early, outscored UCLA 50-33.

"This team has a lot of confidence," Robertson said. "We feel like if we're playing hard and we're playing defense, we're hard to beat."

Patrick Christopher added 16 points as the No. 1 seed Bears (23-9) closed in on their first conference-tournament title. The trophy would look good next to their first regular-season championship in 50 years.

"UCLA came out with some real passion," Montgomery said, even though there weren't as many Bruins fans on hand as Cal had feared. "In the second half, we started playing basketball like we have for the past month or so."

Randle broke Sean Lampley's scoring record on a free throw late in the first half, and he now has 1,790 career points.

"If you shoot as much as he does, you're going to score," Montgomery deadpanned. "No, I don't know if I have ever been around a shooter better than Jerome."

The senior said he was "proud" and that "Lampley can stop chewing his fingernails now."

Robertson scored the first five points of the second half, giving Cal its first lead of the night, 40-39, on a three-pointer two minutes in. Two minutes later, Christopher hit a three-pointer in transition - the Bears' signature play - to give Cal the lead for good at 45-44.

That triggered a 12-0 run, punctuated by another Robertson three and a Randle drive, that put the Bears up 54-44.

Michael Roll scored a career-high 27 points in his final game for No. 5 seed UCLA (14-18).

Cal got off to a slow start, falling behind 20-10 as Roll hit four of his first five shots. UCLA was nice enough to let the Bears off the hook, committing turnovers on seven of its next nine possessions.

Randle converted a three-point play off a steal, and later scored on another drive before Robertson's three-pointer capped off the 10-2 run and made it 22-20.

UCLA's Jerime Anderson then decided to show up. After a disappointing season in which the sophomore guard averaged five points - and coach Ben Howland recently blamed the Bruins' problems on his recruiting decisions of 2008 - Anderson scored seven straight points for the Bruins in a three-minute span.

He put back an offensive rebound, hit a three-pointer and knocked down a pull-up jumper, and also drew a charge on Jorge Gutierrez. Roll knocked down his third three to put UCLA back up nine, 39-30, with 1:20 left.

Cal closed out the half with a couple of Robertson free throws and a Randle three-pointer and had to be happy to be down only four.

Today's final
Who: Cal vs. Washington

When: 3 p.m.

TV/Radio: Channel: 5 Channel: 13 Channel: 46 /1050, 1550