LAS VEGAS — TJ Bamba scored 17 points, DJ Rodman had 10 points and 11 rebounds and No. 5 Washington State extended its winning streak to seven with a 69-52 win over 12th-seeded California on Wednesday in the Opening round of the Pac -12 tournament.
It was the second straight season that Washington State beat Cal in the opening round of the conference tournament. The Cougars (17-15) will seek their second straight win over fourth-placed Oregon in Thursday’s quarterfinals.
Washington State gained some separation midway through the first half after a 13-2 run with five points from Rodman and a 27-13 lead. Jabe Mullins added 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions and the Cougars led 35-21 at halftime despite shooting 39% from the floor.
Mullins scored five straight points during an 8-0 run that gave Washington State a 53-32 lead, 8:48. Cal scored 10 unanswered points to bring it down to 53-42 before Andrej Jakimovski ended Washington State’s four-minute field-goal drought with a 3-pointer. The Cougars led the rest of the way by at least 12 points.
Mullins finished with 11 points and Jakimovski and Mouhamed Gueye each scored 10 for Washington State. Bamba, who posted a career-high 36 points against rival Washington, was 6 of 13 from the field.
Rodman had 10 points and six rebounds in the first half and Washington State passed Cal 24-14 with a 10-3 edge on the offensive glass. The Cougars finished with 43 rebounds compared to 29 for Cal.
Monty Bowser averaged just 3.4 points per game, a career-high 19 points for California (3-29). Lars Thiemann added 10 points.
Cal ended the season on a 16-game losing streak, his most recent win coming against Stanford on Jan. 6.
WASHINGTON STATE 69, CALIFORNIA 52
CALIFORNIA (3-29) – Alajiki 1-6 2-2 4, Bowser 6-13 4-5 19, Kuany 3-10 0-1 6, Thiemann 4-8 2-2 10, Brown 2-6 3 -4 7, Okafor 2-5 0-0 4, Roberson 0-3 0-0 0, Anyanwu 1-2 0-0 2. Overall 19-53 11-14 52.
WASHINGTON ST. (17-15) – Gueye 4-9 2-3 10, Jakimovski 4-9 0-0 10, Rodman 3-8 3-4 10, Bamba 6-14 3-4 17, Powell 2-5 0- 0 5 , Mullins 4-8 0-0 11, Darling 0-1 0-0 0, Wilson 1-1 0-0 2, Houinsou 1-5 2-2 4. Overall 25-60 10-13 69.
Halftime – Washington St. 35-21. 3-point goals – California 3:14 (Bowser 3:6, Roberson 0:1, Alajiki 0:2, Kuany 0:5), Washington St. 9:23 (Mullins 3:4, Jakimovski 2:5, Bamba 2). -7, Powell 1-1, Rodman 1-5, Houinsou 0-1). Rebounds – California 28 (Braun 6), Washington St. 40 (Rodman 11). Assists – California 9 (Braun 4), Washington St. 14 (Gueye 4). Total fouls – California 17, Washington St. 15.
