CALIFORNIA RUMORS & GOSSIP

Justin Cobbs finishes with 18 points as the Golden Bears take over sole possession of first place in the Pac-12. Jerime Anderson leads the Bruins with 16 points.Justin Cobbs scored 18 points and California withstood UCLA's late rally to win 73-63 Saturday, moving the Golden Bears into sole possession of first in the Pac-12 with their 20th victory of the season.

Harper Kamp scored 19 points, Allen Crabbe had 18 and California cruised to a 75-49 victory over Southern California on Thursday night. Crabbe went 8 of 12 from the floor and Kamp was 9 of 11. Cal, the Pac-12's top-shooting team, shot 55.7 percent from the floor. Justin Cobbs scored 10 points and freshman David Kravish grabbed a season-high 18 rebounds for the Golden Bears...

Post Game Press ConferenceThe California Golden Bears took a two-game lead in the race for second place in the Pac-12, holding off a late Bruin rally to earn a 67-58 victory over UCLA. Freshman forward Reshanda Gray had her second double double in the last three games with 17 points and a career-high 14 rebounds.

Allen Crabbe scored 19 points before injuring his right ankle in the second half to help California beat Arizona State 68-47 on Saturday. Jorge Gutierrez added 10 points and five rebounds for the Golden Bears (18-6, 8-3 Pac 12), who bounced back with their most lopsided win of the season two days after being knocked out of first place in the conference. Crabbe, Cal's leading...

Allen Crabbe scored 19 points before injuring his right ankle in the second half to help California beat Arizona State 68-47 on Saturday. Jorge Gutierrez added 10 points and five rebounds for the Golden Bears (18-6, 8-3 Pac 12), who bounced back with their most lopsided win of the season two days after being knocked out of first place in the conference.

Arizona assistant coach Joe Pasternack issued a statement attempting to explain his interaction with California forward Jorge Gutierrez in a game Thursday night, although it stopped short of an apology. Pasternack appeared to kick Gutierrez as he jumped into the Arizona bench area while trying to retrieve a loose ball with 4:45 remaining in Arizonas 78-74 victory in Berkeley. As...

Arizona assistant coach Joe Pasternack says he didn't deliberately make contact with California's Jorge Gutierrez after he fell into the Wildcats' bench during Thursday night's game.

Arizona assistant coach Joe Pasternack says he didn't deliberately make contact with California's Jorge Gutierrez after he fell into the Wildcats' bench during Thursday night's game.

(Eds: With AP Photos.) By JANIE McCAULEY AP Sports Writer Robert Thurman always figured he'd be big. His mom is a retired Marine staff sergeant who stands 6 feet tall, while his father is a 7-foot former bodybuilder who weighed 400 pounds in his prime. Thurman's frame is largely what landed him a roster spot for Pac-12 contender California. In a matter of weeks, the 6-foot...

Kevin Danna brings his insights and observations from Stanford's defeat at the California Golden Bears, 69-59, on Sunday evening in Berkeley.

California coach Mike Montgomery says forward Richard Solomon is expected back next season after he was ruled academically ineligible last week for the rest of this season. Montgomery said Wednesday the sophomore forward already is doing extra work in the classroom and in study hall to improve his grades so he can rejoin the team for 2012-13. Solomon, who also was suspended for...

For the California Golden Bears, the hits just keep on coming. Whether intended or not, Steve Sarkisian has taken a large chuck out of a division rival with another in-conference hire. Eric Kiesau will now jump from Berkeley to Seattle to take over the role of offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, a job that used to belong to Doug Nussmeier before his departure for Alabama this week.

California forward Richard Solomon has been ruled academically ineligible for the remainder of the season, a major setback to a team expected to be a Pac-12 contender. Cal coach Mike Montgomery announced Solomon's suspension Wednesday, saying ''academics are a priority'' and he hopes the sophomore forward will improve his grades and rejoin the team next season...

After a tightly contested first half, Allen Crabbe, Jorge Gutierrez and the California Golden Bears proved to be too much for the Ducks in the second half, outscoring Oregon 47-33 en route to a convincing 77-60 win at Matthew Knight Arena.

Given that the heart and soul of Cal’s basketball program, guard Jorge Gutierrez will exhaust his eligibility after this season, there will be a huge void in the backcourt in Berkeley, California, next year. Though there is some promising talent on the roster, California struck gold on the recruiting trail today, landing arguably the best available combo guard remaining in the country...