LDN - Sports

California 77, Utah Valley 64

[March 20, 2014] BERKELEY, Calif. — California 77, Utah Valley 64: David Kravish scored 14 points to lead five players in double figures as the Golden Bears rolled past the visiting Wolverines in the opening round of the NIT.

Justin Cobbs and Jordan Mathews had 13 points apiece while Jabari Bird added 11 for second-seeded California (20-13), which shot 52.5 percent and advanced to host No. 3 seed Arkansas on Monday. Jeff Powers scored 10 points and Kravish collected 10 rebounds to help the Golden Bears bounce back from a close loss to Colorado in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 tournament.

Holton Hunsaker paced Utah Valley (20-12) with 22 points on 7-of-14 shooting and Ben Aird added 19 points and nine rebounds. Mitch Bruneel had seven points and eight rebounds for the Wolverines, who earned their school’s first NIT berth after winning the Western Athletic Conference regular-season title.

California shot 55.9 percent in the first half and led 43-34 at the break before taking control early in the second half. Powers hit back-to-back 3-pointers during an 11-0 run and California extended its lead to 60-43 with just over 13 minutes remaining.

Hunsaker scored 13 points in the opening stanza to keep the Wolverines close, but California used a balanced offensive attack to maintain a double-digit lead for most of the second half. California, playing in the NIT for the first time since 2011, shot 7-of-17 from beyond the arc and outrebounded Utah Valley 37-32.

GAME NOTEBOOK: California senior F Richard Solomon, who led the Pac-12 in rebounding during the regular season with 10.2 per game, sat out due to a concussion. … California defeated Arkansas 85-77 at the Maui Invitational on Nov. 25, 2013. The Razorbacks improved to 22-11 with Tuesday’s 91-71 win over No. 6 seed Indiana State. … Cobbs contributed seven assists for the Golden Bears, who won for the second time in their last six games.


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