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Tyrone Wallace leads No. 15 Cal past UC Santa Barbara 85-67
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) Jaylen Brown made a steal and drove all the way for a highlight-reel, left-handed dunk, providing a glimpse of the special player California added in its recruiting class along with local star Ivan Rabb.
Afterward, Brown had something else on his mind besides the spectacular slam: four turnovers.
''What I need to concentrate more on is the turnovers and do a better job of finding my teammates,'' the freshman said.
''Smart man,'' coach Cuonzo Martin said.
Tyrone Wallace had 24 points and six assists, and Brown added 17 points and seven rebounds to lead No. 15 Cal past UC Santa Barbara 85-67 on Monday night.
Jordan Mathews had 16 points and seven rebounds for the Golden Bears (2-0), who dropped a spot to No. 15 in this week's Associated Press poll following a 32-point, season-opening win against Rice last Friday night.
Michael Bryson, UCSB's top returning scorer, had 23 points in his season debut for the Gauchos (1-1) after sitting out Friday's opener while serving a one-game suspension for his participation in a non-sanctioned summer league game in July.
While Brown's dunk with 10:24 to go was memorable, Martin figures he missed another one because of a turnover.
''He studies the game,'' Martin said. ''He understands what he needs to do to take the next steps.''
Rabb scored the next time down in a stretch of five straight made baskets by Cal and finished with 12 points, making all 10 of his free throws.
Three days after all five California starters scored in double figures in the 97-65 win against Rice, they did it again thanks to Jabari Bird's late 3-pointer after he missed his first five attempts from long range.
So far, Martin has been happy with how his team is sharing the ball and pushing the tempo, starting on the defensive end.
Wallace shot 6 for 10 and made 11 of 13 free throws. The senior earned Pac-12 Player of the Week honors for his 20-point, nine-assist, six-rebound performance against Rice.
UCSB, picked by the media to finish second in the Big West Conference, didn't get enough from Bryson's supporting cast.
John Green had career highs of 22 points, 13 rebounds and three steals as the Gauchos won their opener on a tip-in by Eric Childress with 3 seconds left for a 60-59 victory at Nebraska-Omaha on Friday night. Green had 12 points and five rebounds Monday.
''My concern is getting the group playing better together,'' said coach Bob Williams, whose team was whistled for 25 fouls. ''It's tough to play that way. It takes some rhythm out of the game.''
Cal took time to warm up in the second half and UCSB pulled to 56-44 on Bryson's 3 with 13:39 remaining. Kameron Rooks then immediately answered with a three-point play on the other end for the Bears.
Cal ended the first half on a 9-0 run while UCSB missed its final five shots to go 2:44 without scoring, and the Bears built a 47-28 lead at the break.
The Bears made four of their initial nine 3-point tries, two by Mathews, before missing the next five.
SIGHTINGS
Former Cal star Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who like Brown attended Wheeler High in Marietta, Georgia, sat in the second row opposite the Bears bench while Oakland Athletics manager Bob Melvin - who attended Cal - sat in his regular courtside seat in the other corner across from the UCSB bench.
Abdur-Rahim sent a text message to Brown.
''He just said he was coming and I'd better do something,'' Brown said.
The players appreciate the support from former star players.
''He's always been very supportive behind the scenes,'' Martin said. ''He went to school here, he takes pride in that.''
TIP-INS
Santa Barbara: Bryson was 3 of 8 and the rest of the Gauchos 5 of 16 with 3:52 left in the first half. ... The Gauchos played the first of three road games against Pac-12 schools - also at Arizona State and Washington - and four non-conference matchups in all, including a home date with Oregon State this weekend.
California: Cal went 29 for 38 from the free throw line. ... Under second-year coach Martin, Cal is 9-2 in non-conference games at Haas Pavilion. ... The Bears lead the series 11-1 but had their 10-game winning streak snapped with a 72-65 loss at Santa Barbara on Dec. 6, 2013.
UP NEXT
Santa Barbara: Hosts Oregon State on Saturday.
California: Hosts East Carolina on Friday in the Las Vegas Invitational.
