Nov 24, 2002
Final Stats
By PETE HERRERA
AP Sports Writer
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - Amit Tamir got the first double-double of his
career with 20 points and 10 rebounds and California twice rallied from
13-point deficits to beat New Mexico 76-68 Saturday.
Cal (1-0) used a 19-1 run to erase a 50-37 New Mexico lead with 5 1/2 minutes
gone in the second half. Brian Wethers scored 6 points and Erik Bond 5 in the
Bears' spurt.
New Mexico (0-1) regained the lead at 60-56 with 9 straight points. That run
included back-to-back 3-pointers by Javin Tindall and Mark Walters and free
throws by Jamaal Williams and Ruben Douglas.
New Mexico's offense, effective in the first half when the Lobos hit six
3-pointers, stalled in the final minutes and the poised Bears regained the lead
for good with 9 straight points that included a pair of free throws and a
3-pointer by the 6-foot-11 Tamir.
New Mexico got within a point twice after that, the last time at 67-66 with
1:05 left on a pair of free throws by Douglas, who led New Mexico with 26
points. The Bears put the game away on a basket and free throw by Joe Shipp and
another pair of free throws from Tamir, who went 8-for-8 at the foul line.
With Douglas hitting four of his first six shots, New Mexico took a 30-17
lead with 7:05 left in the first half. Cal cut the deficit to 34-28 at
halftime, but when Douglas banked in a 10-foot jumper with 14:35 left, the
Lobos had a 13-point lead.
Cal got double-figure scoring from four players. Wethers scored 17, Shipp 14
and Conor Famulener a career-high 11.
Cal used its height advantage inside to consistently score lay-ups, while
New Mexico had to rely on its 3-point shooting. The Lobos hit five of their
first seven 3s and six of 15 in the first half, but cooled off to hit just
three of 17 in the second half.
"I thought the keys today were keeping our composure down the stretch, hitting our free throws and taking care of the ball," said Cal head coach Ben Braun. "We got contributions from a lot of people. It was a great team effort in the second half."
Cal returns to action at Cleveland State at 7 p.m. Eastern Time Nov. 30 before holding its home opener Dec. 3 vs. Howard.
