Cal Men Fall To No. 3 Kansas In Testy Matchup
BERKELEY (AP) -- Markieff Morris had 21 points and 10 rebounds and No. 3 Kansas overcame the ejection of his twin brother to beat California 78-63 in a testy game Wednesday night.
Freshman Josh Selby scored 18 points in his second game since an NCAA suspension and the Jayhawks (11-0) remained unbeaten and handed the Golden Bears (6-5) their third loss in four games.
This marked Kansas' 10th straight win over Cal. But instead of being remembered for Selby's sweet outside shooting or Morris' strong play inside, this one will be remembered for the chippy second half that featured one flagrant foul, Marcus Morris' ejection and three technical fouls.
Jorge Gutierrez scored 15 points, Allen Crabbe had 11 and Markhuri Sanders-Frison added 10 points and 12 rebounds for Cal. Coach Mike Montgomery failed in his first try to win his 600th career game.
Tyrel Reed scored 18 points and Thomas Robinson added seven points and 10 rebounds for the Jayhawks, who improved to 4-0 against Pac-10 teams this season. Unlike home victories over USC and UCLA, this one didn't go down to the wire.
The Jayhawks scored the first nine points of the second half, highlighted by a three-point play from Selby, to take a 47-30 lead. But Cal responded with a 13-0 run, sparked by a 3-pointer by Allen Crabbe that was followed with a flagrant foul underneath on Marcus Morris.
Harper Kamp made both free throws for a five-point trip, while Morris was ejected after scoring eight points.
The chippiness continued from there with Gutierrez and Robinson getting into a scrum during a fight for a loose ball. Gutierrez jumped up off the court angry at Robinson and had to be held back by Montgomery.
Other Cal players had to be held back on the bench as the officials tried to settle things down. Both players got technical fouls after the officials checked the replay monitor.
Gary Franklin then hit a 3-pointer and Sanders-Frison added two free throws to cut it to 47-43 and Cal had three chances on the next trip to get even closer but couldn't convert.
Robinson's three-point play steadied things for Kansas, which quickly built the lead back to double figures.
Brady Morningstar got called for another technical later in the second half for Kansas, but the Jayhawks still managed to pull away.
Kansas was the highest ranked nonconference opponent to visit Berkeley since No. 3 Kansas State came here in 1958. The Jayhawks only other trip here came two years earlier when Wilt Chamberlain led them to a 66-56 victory over coach Pete Newell's squad.
Kansas started slowly, making just two baskets in the first five minutes before Selby sparked the Jayhawks with his outside shooting. Selby hit two 3-pointers in an 18-5 run that gave Kansas a 10-point lead midway through the half. The Jayhawks led 38-30 at halftime.
Selby picked up where he left off in his first collegiate game when he scored 21 points and hit the game-winning 3-pointer in a 70-68 win over USC. He missed the first nine games because the NCAA ruled he accepted impermissible benefits.
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