Cal Turns It Around Against Stanford, 72-59

Joe Shipp knew that if he stuck around California long enough, he and his teammates would get a chance to use their brooms.

Shipp had 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Brian Wethers scored 16 points as Cal made two big rallies in the second half to beat Stanford, 72-59, Saturday night at Berkeley in the Pacific 10 opener for both schools.

“My freshman and sophomore years, we got swept by them,” said Shipp, the Bears’ senior scoring leader. “Last year, we split with them. This year, our plans are to sweep them.”

Amit Tamir scored 11 points for the Golden Bears (8-2), who pulled away late in their second consecutive win over their archrivals. Cal ended a 10-game losing streak to the Cardinal last season -- its longest losing streak in a rivalry dating to 1911.

The losing streak is a distant memory given Cal’s clearly equal standing in this rivalry. The Bears were the better team this time, committing only six turnovers and beating Stanford on the boards, 40-31, after the Cardinal had outrebounded all but one of its foes this season.

Shipp had 12 points in the second half as Cal broke open a close game in the final 12 minutes with an impressive series of plays on both ends. Stanford (9-4) managed only two field goals in an eight-minute stretch as the Bears remained unbeaten at home this season.

*

No. 4 Arizona 80, Oregon State 65 -- Rick Anderson, called upon to replace injured forward Luke Walton, had 13 points at Corvallis, Ore., for the Wildcats, who opened their Pacific 10 season with a sweep of the Oregon schools for the first time since 1997-98.

Arizona (9-1, 2-0) was coming off a come-from-behind 81-72 victory Thursday night over Oregon.

Freshman guard Hassan Adams scored 14 points to lead Arizona and Jason Gardner had 12 points.

Walton sprained his right ankle Monday night in the Wildcats’ 85-71 victory over Boston University in the Fiesta Bowl Classic. He suited up against the Beavers but spent the game on the bench.

Oregon State (7-4, 0-2), coming off a 67-47 loss at home to Arizona State in its Pac-10 opener, gave Arizona little trouble.

Philip Ricci had 24 points for Oregon State, which had its losing streak against Top 25 teams extended to 17 games.

It was Oregon State Coach Jay John’s first meeting against his former boss, Arizona’s Lute Olson. John served as an assistant at Arizona for the last four seasons.

*

No. 9 Oregon 94, Arizona State 73 -- Luke Ridnour scored 24 points -- 21 in the second half -- for the Ducks at Eugene, Ore.

Oregon (10-2, 1-1) went on a 25-2 run midway through the second half, turning a five-point deficit into a 69-51 advantage with 8:46 to play. The Ducks trailed 39-33 at halftime but shot 81% in the second half, outscoring the Sun Devils, 61-34.

Ridnour scored 10 points during the Ducks’ decisive run, while reserve forward Jay Anderson added eight of his 10 points.

It was Luke Jackson, however, who put Oregon up for good with a dunk off a long pass from Robert Johnson for a 52-51 lead.

Jackson had 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Freshman center Ike Diogu led Arizona State (9-4, 1-1) with 27 points and eight rebounds.