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California extends Washington's road woes

Jan 14, 2007 - 4:54 AM BERKELEY, California (Ticker) -- Washington does not like being away from home.

Freshman Ryan Anderson scored 18 points and Ayinde Ubaka had six in overtime as California posted a 77-69 victory over the road-weary 24th-ranked Huskies in the Pac-10 Conference.

Justin Dentmon had a chance to win the game in regulation for Washington (11-6, 1-5 Pac-10), but he split a pair of free throws with two-tenths of a second left, keeping the Huskies winless in five road contests.

"We got loose balls and rebounds," Cal coach Ben Braun said. "It's a formula that we're going to have to stick to. That's what it's going to take from our team. It was a great effort."

The Bears also did something no opponent has done against the Huskies all season - outrebound them. Washington had been winning the battle of the boards by an average of 11 per game, but California turned the tables, enjoying a 47-36 edge on the glass behind 14 rebounds from Anderson.

"I thought Ryan went out there with a lot of heart ... a lot of soul," Braun said. "He kept his feet moving. His rebounds were really crucial for us down the stretch and at the end of the game.

"We got some key rebounds. They're really battling out there. Our freshmen are very significant for us. In every game that we're won this year, we've had to battle and we've had to defend. There's nothing pretty about it."

The Bears took control immediately in the extra session on two baskets by Ubaka and a jumper from Anderson for a 73-67 lead with 1:11 remaining. Ubaka, a senior guard, finished with 13 points and moved within 18 of 1,000 for his career.

"It's great to have his experience in that situation," Braun said. "Those guys are going to have to make plays for this team. And Ayinde did that today."

It was the sixth time in seven years California (11-6, 3-2) beat Washington at home.

The Huskies entered as the 11th-highest scoring team in the nation at 84.8 points per game, but were shut down by the Bears, who improved to 11-0 when holding a team to 70 points or less.

There were 14 ties and 19 lead changes in the game. Ryan Appleby buried a 3-pointer to put the Huskies ahead, 66-64, with 1:23 left in regulation, but Eric Vierneisel hit a huge shot from the arc with 8.8 seconds left to give Cal a one-point lead.

Dentmon drove straight to the basket on the final possession of regulation, but his jumper came up short. He corralled the rebound in a scramble from the right side of the basket and was fouled by Vierneisel with two-tenths of a second remaining.

A 73 percent free throw shooter, Dentmon missed the first and swished the second to send the game into overtime.

Theo Robertson scored 14 points for Cal, which finished just 7-of-29 from the arc.

"I think our shooting will come around a little bit," Braun said. "They made some runs on us, but we answered every punch they threw. That's what I liked about our effort today."

Freshman Spencer Hawes scored 13 points and Dentmon added 13 for the Huskies, who will conclude a three-game road swing next Saturday at intrastate Washington State.