Cal topped by #4 Arizona in Pac-12 Opener

BERKELEY (AP) – Caleb Love scored 22 points and Oumar Balllo had his third consecutive double-double to lead No. 4 Arizona to a 100-81 win over California in the Pac-12 opener for both on Friday night.

Ballo finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Wildcats (10-2, 1-0). Pelle Larsson added 12 points and seven assists. Motiejus Krivas scored 18.

Jaylon Tyson had 22 points and 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the year and Jalen Celestine added 14 points as the Golden Bears (4-8, 0-1) lost for the seventh time in nine games.

Love scored 20 or more points for the fifth time this season and the 31st time in his career. He had a big game – shooting 7 of 10 from the field – despite drawing a technical foul for taunting. He drew the call after making a powerful dunk over Gus Larson and glaring at the California player in the second half.

Arizona sped to an early lead and extended that advantage to 31 points. The Wildcats never trailed in the game and led by double digits over the final 34 minutes on the way to their 14th straight win against Cal.

The Bears put up 55 second-half points, their most in a half this season, but could not pull closer than 19. Tyson poured in 19 of his 22 points after halftime while Cal knocked down 19 of its 28 field goals over the final 20 minutes.

The Wildcats shot nearly 70% in the first half and were equally effective on the defense side. Arizona made 13 of its first 16 shots and got consecutive 3-pointers from Love during a 14-0 run.

Cal closes the 2023 calendar year against Arizona State at 5 p.m. Sunday in Berkeley. The New Year’s Eve tilt will air on the Pac-12 Network.