Cobbs' 22 points propel Cal past Denver 80-59

BOX SCORE
BERKELEY(AP) --Allen Crabbe scored 15 points and matched his career high with 10 rebounds and No. 20 California defeated Denver 80-59 on Saturday to stay unbeaten at home in Haas Pavilion.Crabbe, last season's Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, shot 6 for 9 with three 3-pointers and helped the Golden Bears (5-1) overcome a slow start against the Pioneers (4-1). Cal bounced back from a 92-53 defeat to No. 21 Missouri in the CBE Classic championship game Tuesday night in Kansas City, Mo.Chris Udofia scored nine points to lead Denver, which was outmuscled inside in losing the rebounding battle 33-20 and outshot from the perimeter. The Pioneers struggled offensively on the heels of an impressive win over Bay Area team Saint Mary's on Wednesday night in Colorado.Justin Cobbs added a career-best 22 points on 7-for-9 shooting and made all four of his 3-point tries for the Bears. Harper Kamp had 11 points, five rebounds and five assists for Cal, which improved to 5-0 on its home floor and 24-3 in nonconference games at Haas during fourth-year coach Mike Montgomery's tenure. The Bears are in a stretch with six of seven games in Berkeley.Denver, off to the program's best start since winning seven straight to begin the 1996-97 season, never round a rhythm while facing a ranked opponent for the first time since losing to No. 10 Gonzaga on Nov. 24, 2003. The Pioneers haven't beaten a ranked team since a 96-74 victory over Utah State on Feb. 15, 1971.Denver has nine returning players and four starters back from a team that placed third in the Sun Belt Conference last season. Leading scorer Brian Stafford, who came in averaging 17.0 points per game, was held to six points on 3-for-5 shooting, while second-leading scorer Udofia - with a 15.3 average - was 3 of 11 and 1 for 6 on 3s to go with six assists.Cal star Jorge Gutierrez picked up two first-half fouls and played only six minutes before returning after halftime. Cobbs filled in nicely, knocking down two 3-pointers during an 11-3 spurt.Gutierrez finished with 11 points and made all eight of his free-throw tries as the Bears more than doubled the Pioneers in trips to the line. Cal shot 64.3 percent from 3-point range, going 9 for 14 - an area Montgomery has said needs improvement. The Bears had made only 25 total before Saturday.Cal missed its first six field-goal tries and began 3 for 10, but Denver also missed its initial six attempts before Brian Stafford's layin at the 14-minute mark. Both teams were sloppy early, though Cal crashed the offensive glass to create second and third opportunities. The Bears wound up with only 13 turnovers, an improvement after committing a season-high 21 in the loss to Missouri. They had 78 through their first five games.Cal has won all three meetings between the schools, who hadn't played since the 1967-68 season.