January 23, 1999

Box Score

OAKLAND - Cal used a 20-4 run at the end of the first half and beginning of the second en route to a 75-68 victory over Washington State Saturday at the Oakland Arena.

The Bears improved to 12-5 overall and 3-4 in the Pac-10, while WSU fell to 8-10, 2-5.

Cal and WSU battled through the early part of the game with six lead changes and six ties. But with the score tied at 25-25 with 3:44 left, Thomas Kilgore's driving layup gave the Bears the lead for good. Cal, which got 12 points and seven rebounds from Sean Lampley in the first half, extended its advantage to 39-29 at the break.

In the second half, the Bears seemed to have put the game away, leading by as many as 18 points on four occasions, the last at 58-40 with 11:34 left. But Washington State quickly chopped into the lead, narrowing it to 60-52 three minutes later.

After Cal extended the lead to 67-54, the Cougars put on one final charge. When Eddie Miller made a five-foot jumper in the lane with 2:03 to go, the score was 69-65. However, a 15-footer by Geno Carlisle and two free throws each by Mike Gill and Kilgore put the game away.

The Bears received a big lift from three reserves who had not seen much action in recent games. Guard Raymond King played 19 minutes and finished with four points, three assists and two steals, while walk-on guard Robbie Jones had four points and four boards in 15 minutes. In addition, center Shahar Gordon and two points, a rebound, an assist, a block and a steal in four minutes.

Lampley and Kilgore tied for team scoring honors with 15 points apiece, while Gill added 12 and Carlisle 10. As a team, the Bears shot 56.3 percent from the floor, their best mark in conference action this year.

Cal-Washington State Postgame Quotes -

Cal Head Coach Ben Braun -

"I think some young players forget what it takes to get that lead. We relaxed a little bit down the stretch with the ball. Hopefully, this is a learning experience for our guys. You have to play hard the whole 40 minutes."

"Raymond King stepped up and played better the last couple of games. He's doing a great job making strides and providing a spark to this team. Robbie Jones has been on a tear all week in practice. He knew this was an opportunity and he played to it."

WSU Head Coach Kevin Eastman -

"We can't allow ourselves to get down like we did. The problem our team is having right now is when you come off a game like Stanford (94-45 loss), if it starts to begin to happen again, that plays with you mind and sometimes exacerbates things to the point where it begins to happen again."