On Senior Day, Cal's graduating seniors came up big.
Raymond King scored 14 points and
Robbie Jones added seven as the Golden Bears broke a two-game losing streak with an 86-73 win over USC Saturday.
With win, Cal improved to 16-12 overall and 7-9 in the Pac-10, while USC fell to 14-14 and 7-9.
For King, the 14 points represented his highest total in over two years, and Jones' points were his most since the last game of the 1997-98 season. In addition, sophomore center Solomon Hughes tallied a career-best 16 points, and junior forward Sean Lampley had 13 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.
The game began in unusual fashion when USC's Jeff Trepagnier was called for a technical foul for dunking in pre-game warm-ups. Donte Smith sank both free throws and the Bears were ahead, 2-0, before the clock had started.
Cal proceeded to jump on the Trojans early, rushing out to a 17-5 lead less than five-and-a-half minutes into the contest. King fueled the run with seven points and Jones had five. The Bears led by 13 points on several occasions and were up 40-27 at the 5:00 mark when the Trojans went on a spurt to close the half down, 47-40.
In the second half, the teams traded baskets for much of the period, but the Bears were able to maintain at least a four-point advantage most of the way. However, with Cal up, 67-59, with 7:14 to go, USC scored seven straight points to make it 67-66 with 4:35 left.
On Cal's next possession, Lampley found himself double-teamed and he passed to a wide open Ryan Forehan-Kelly in the corner. Forehan-Kelly made the three-pointer, was fouled on the play by Nate Hair and sank the free throw for a four-point play. King followed that up with a layup, Hughes scored another basket and suddenly Cal was up, 75-66, with 2:18 to go.
Down the stretch, the Bears went 7-for-8 from the line to clinch the victory.
California vs. USC Post-Game Quotes
California Head Coach Ben Braun:
On the seniors starting tonight's game:
"They made me look good, and at the same time bad for not playing them as much earlier in the year. We had fun with that. What a great game for our seniors tonight."
"It was a huge win for us and keeps our playoff hopes alive. It just has been this kind of league this year. I think this team showed they were focused and ready to play tonight."
"Solomon (Hughes) went out tonight with a purpose to his game and played what I think was the game of his life."
"Sean Lampley played like a true leader down the stretch for us. That's a sign of growth and maturity in him."
"We have a lot of respect for (USC forward) Brain Scalabrine. That's one guy we didn't want to get off on us."
"I can't remember a game all year long where the crowd was as involved and as loud as they were tonight. They was great to have them get Haas jumping like that."
USC Head Coach Henry Bibby:
"They (Cal) played well. I thought we played hard and did some good things. But Brian (Scalabrine) is playing on one leg and Sam (Clancy) is just getting back. The guys fought, we were right there. But they (Cal) kept pecking away and made some good shots."
"Sean Lampley was a big difference in the game. He draws all the attention and he can make passes. He's a very good basketball player for that team."
"I'm proud of the guys. Like I've said before, we're building this thing. We have some solid kids in the program and we're just looking to get better each day. You hate to lose 8 out of 9 games, but we're doing some good things and I like that."
