Rabb scores 13 with 9 boards, Cal beats Coppin St. 84-51
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) With a week between games because of final exams, California came into Saturday's game against Coppin State hoping to re-establish the rhythm it found in last week's win over St. Mary's.
Ivan Rabb scored 13 points with nine rebounds as five Cal players scored in double figures in an 84-51 win.
Saturday's win was head coach Cuonzo Martin's last opportunity to give his team a tune up before flying across the country to take on eighth-ranked Virginia on Tuesday. His team held to Coppin State to 24.2 percent shooting.
''In most cases, Coppin State wants to try to get 100 points. They want to get up and down,'' Martin said. ''I thought we did a solid job, especially in the second half.''
Jordan Mathews had 13 points for Cal (9-2). Tyrone Wallace scored 12 points while Jaylen Brown and Jabari Bird added 10 apiece. Brown finished with six rebounds, five assists and two blocked shots.
Mathews finished with three 3-pointers, extending his streak with at least one 3 to 18-straight games. Bird set a career mark with nine rebounds.
After Coppin State's Terry Harris Jr. hit a 3 to open the game, a 12-0 run helped Cal take a nine-point lead, before finishing the first half ahead 43-22.
Mathews made two 3-pointers during his 10-point opening half and hit all four of his free throws, before finishing 3 of 9 from the field and 4 of 4 from the free throw line.
Trevon Seymore led Coppin State (2-10) with 13 points, five assists and three steals.
''I would say the goal was just to build on what we did against Saint Mary's,'' Rabb said. ''We played with tremendous energy and played together. We just wanted to build on that.''
Rabb left the game with an apparent right ankle injury with 2:01 remaining in the first half after pacing Cal with 11 points and four rebounds while going 2-2 from the field, hitting 7 of 9 free throws. He returned in the second half with his ankle taped.
Cal entered the game with 50 blocks and registered nine in the win. The 33-point victory was its largest of the season after entering the game outscoring opponents by an average of 16 points. Its previous largest margin of victory was 32 against Rice on Nov. 13.
Playing a rare back-to-back, the Eagles played Saturday after falling to San Francisco in overtime, 96-93, across the Bay Bridge Friday night.
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KERR ELECTRIFIES HAAS PAVILION
The crowd at Haas Pavilion was subdued for most of Saturday's blowout, with the exception of late in the game when walk-on transfer Nick Kerr entered the game and drained both his three-point attempts.
The crowd, along with Cal's bench, was on its feet for the senior.
''It was really cool. You don't get too many chances to get in as a walk-on,'' Kerr said. ''When you make a shot, it's such a big cheer, and you look at the bench and everyone's celebrating. It was pretty awesome.''
Kerr is the son of Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, and is a graduate transfer from the University of San Diego.
TIP-INS
Coppin State: The loss to Cal was its eighth straight while its December record fell to 0-7.Junior forward Terry Harris Jr. left the game with an apparent lower left leg injury at the 1:03 mark in the first half with 5 points. He did not return and spent the second half receiving ice treatment.Only three players who attempted field goals made more than one.
Cal: The win pushed the Bears' win streak to five games and moved them to 8-0 at Haas Pavilion.Improved to 4-0 in the all-time series against Coppin State. The last win came Nov. 8, 2013 at Haas Pavilion.Cal won the rebounding battle 50-33 and came in plus-13 in rebounding margin.
UP NEXT
Coppin State: Hosts Eastern Michigan Monday
Cal: Travels to play Virginia Tuesday
