BERKELEY - (AP) - Sophomore Jabari Bird scored a season-high 18 points, junior Tyrone Wallace added 16 points and eight rebounds and the California men's basketball defeated Cal Poly 72-52 on Wednesday night in front of 5,712 fans at Haas Pavilion. With the win, the Golden Bears improved to 4-1 on the year, while the Mustangs dropped to 2-2 overall.
Sophomore Jordan Mathews added 17 points for the Bears. Mathews has reached double figures in scoring in all five games this season.
Brian Bennett scored a season-high 16 points to lead the Mustangs, who had their modest two-game win streak snapped. David Nwaba scored 14 and was 8 of 12 from the line.The Mustangs drew within 40-37 following a pair of Nwaba free throws with 12:37 remaining to play.
The Bears extended their lead to 52-41 when redshirt junior Christian Behrens slammed home an offensive rebound four minutes later.Cal maintained a double-digit advantage the rest of the way.Cal went on a 9-1 run midway through the first run to break a 14-all tie and gain some breathing room. The Bears eventually led by 10 before taking a 31-24 lead into halftime.
Cal returns to action Sunday, Nov. 30, as the Bears travel to Fresno, Calif. to play Fresno State at the Save Mart Center at 3 p.m. PT. The game will be televised nationally on CBS College Sports Network.
