Jan. 4, 2009

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BERKELEY, Calif. -- Jerome Randle converted a four-point play with 2:13 remaining, matched his career high with 26 points and had a career-best 10 assists to lead California to an 81-71 victory over No. 17 Arizona State on Sunday night for a seventh straight win.

Ty Abbott fouled Randle at the top of the arc on a long 3 after James Harden had pulled the Sun Devils within two points moments earlier.

Harden finished with 26 points and eight rebounds to lead Arizona State (12-2, 1-1 Pac-10), which had its eight-game winning streak snapped two days after a 30-point victory at Stanford to start the conference schedule. Harden missed consecutive 3s in the final 1:10 and the Sun Devils were denied their first sweep of the tough Bay Area road trip since 2004-05.

Patrick Christopher added 20 points for the Golden Bears (13-2, 2-0). Cal won its conference opener under first-year coach Mike Montgomery with a 69-55 victory over Arizona on Friday night.

Patrick Christopher added 20 points and another solid defensive outing for the Golden Bears (13-2, 2-0), who won their conference opener under first-year coach Mike Montgomery with a 69-55 victory over Arizona on Friday night and so far are looking much stronger than expected considering they were picked to finish eighth in the conference.

Arizona State had been on its third-longest winning streak in the past 28 years. Last season, the Sun Devils won 10 straight and the 2004-05 team nine in a row.

Jeff Pendergraph had 16 points and seven rebounds playing with two injuries and Rihards Kuksiks also added 16 points for Arizona State.

Pendergraph sprained his right knee in the first half after sitting out Saturday's practice as a precaution with a sore left heel that he aggravated in the middle of the second half Friday against the Cardinal. He returned for the second half with a brace on the knee and moved well considering. That's after he scored a career-high 31 points on 14-for-19 shooting in a 90-60 victory at Stanford on Friday night.

Pendergraph went down battling for post position after he appeared to lose his footing. He was clearly in pain, grimacing as he sat on the court behind the bench and had his right knee wrapped with an ice pack, then was helped to the locker room.

Pendergraph was whistled for his fourth foul with 9:20 left, then picked up his fifth with 28 seconds to go.

The Sun Devils had to be happy heading into halftime tied at 37 considering Pendergraph played only 10 minutes and they never really got in sync.

Arizona State had won the previous four meetings in Haas Pavilion - and the visiting team had won the last eight games in the series.