Bears dispatch Washington in three OTs
California rallies for its ninth consecutive win
Patrick Christopher scored a career-high 27 points and had 11 rebounds, including the clinchers in the third overtime, as California rallied in the second half and in each extra period to beat Washington 88-85 on Saturday in Seattle in a wild fight atop the Pac-10 Conference.
Jerome Randle scored 23 points for Cal before fouling out in the second overtime. Then Theo Robertson gave the Bears (15-2, 4-0 Pac-10) their first lead since 1-0 with a three-point play that made it 86-85 with 15 seconds remaining.
Cal won its ninth straight and is off to its best start since the 1959-60 Bears went 28-2 and lost in the championship game of the NCAA tournament to Ohio State. It was Cal’s first three-overtime game since Feb. 10, 1977, when the Bears needed five overtimes to beat Oregon.
“Man, it’s tough to talk about that game because it was so crazy,” Christopher said after he played a game-high 53 minutes – many of them with four fouls. “That was the toughest game I’ve played in – and the most fun I’ve had in a game.
“I’d be exhausted if we’d lost.”
Justin Dentmon scored 24 points, 15 in the last two overtimes, and Isaiah Thomas added 22 for Washington (11-4, 2-1), which saw its nine-game winning streak end. Jon Brockman had 16 points and a career high-tying 18 rebounds but missed crucial free throws for the Huskies, who last played three overtimes in 1984.
Washington led by 11 with 7:36 left in regulation and had a four-point lead early in the third overtime. But Robertson tied the game at 83 with 1:08 left in the third OT on a layup and Brockman, 2 for 8 from the line overall, missed two free throws with 48.5 seconds left.
Cal’s Christopher missed a runner and Jamal Boykin fouled Dentmon on the rebound. Dentmon made two free throws, to go 13 for 16 from the line, and Washington led 85-83 with 28.4 seconds left.
Robertson then drove into Quincy Pondexter, made the shot and the subsequent free throw with 15 seconds left to put Cal up by 1.
On Washington’s next possession, Dentmon drove hard but missed inside. Christopher grabbed the rebound and made the clinching free throws with 0.6 seconds remaining.
Washington’s final heave by Brockman on the inbounds play was intercepted as Christopher ran to the Cal bench to jubilantly chest bump his teammates.
(20) Arizona State 76, Oregon 58: Derek Glasser scored 15 points and had a career-high 11 assists, and the Sun Devils (14-2, 3-1) routed the Ducks (6-10, 0-4) at Tempe, Ariz., for their 10th win in 11 games.
James Harden scored 19 points for the Sun Devils, whose three conference wins have come by an average of 26 points.
The Ducks are off to their worst start in Pac-10 play since 1992-93, when they lost their first 11 games and finished 3-15.
Arizona 64, Oregon State 47: Chase Budinger scored 24 points and made four straight free throws after the ejection of Oregon State coach Craig Robinson, and the Wildcats (11-5, 2-2) defeated the Beavers (6-8, 1-3) at Tucson, Ariz.
Oregon State closed to within 55-47 with 2:14 remaining. That’s when Robinson was whistled for two technicals for arguing with the officials. Arizona scored nine straight points after the technicals.