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BOX SCORE
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) – Like the rain that fell on California's campus, second-ranked Stanford started early, came down hard and rarely let up.
|  | | Casey Jacobsen, right, and Jason Collins helped lead Stanford to its ninth straight win over Cal. |
By late afternoon, the Golden Bears were drowning.
Casey Jacobsen scored 18 points, and Jason Collins had 13 points and eight rebounds as Stanford beat Cal 88-56 on Saturday in the 234th meeting between the archrivals.
As water dripped through Haas Pavilion's roof into a somber Cal
student section, the Cardinal (23-1, 11-1 Pac-10) improved the
nation's best record while beating Cal for the ninth straight time
-- Stanford's longest winning streak in the rivalry's history.
"That was a thorough and a complete game for us," Stanford coach Mike Montgomery said. "Hopefully we can build on that in the final weeks of the season. We thought this game was critical for us."
Stanford struggled to put away its opponents in recent weeks,
but the Cardinal silenced a hostile crowd with methodical,
efficient play on both ends -- including 62-percent shooting and a
41-21 rebounding edge.
"If you want a statistic, try this: They're probably the only team in the country which hasn't lost a road game this year," Cal coach Ben Braun said. "If that's not a sign of toughness, I don't know what is."
The Bears, who have surged into the top half of the conference
this season after years of lagging behind their higher-profile
in-state rivals, began the day with high hopes of finally catching
Stanford. They quickly evaporated.
"They probably thought they had a chance to get us finally,"
said Jacobsen, who shot 7-for-11 and got seven rebounds. "We
didn't let it happen from the get-go. We took them out early.
That's the best defensive effort we've had, and it's by far the
sweetest win because it's Cal-Stanford."
Collins and his twin brother Jarron combined for 25 points and 16 rebounds, with Jason dominating the first half and Jarron the second.
Stanford, which has won the last three in the matchup by a
combined 109 points, won its 11th straight road game and won on
Cal's home court for the fourth straight time.
The Cardinal beat the Bears 84-58 at Maples Pavilion last month,
and the rematch in Berkeley wasn't any closer -- in fact, it was
Cal's worst-ever home loss to Stanford.
With the win, Stanford maintained its one-game lead over UCLA in the Pac-10. Cal (17-7, 8-4) stayed in fourth place, a game ahead of Southern California.
"We definitely needed to make a statement," said Stanford's
Ryan Mendez, who had 12 points. "I think we definitely separated
ourselves from the rest of the league today. We're the leaders of
this conference. People have to come after us."
Seldom-used reserve Teyo Johnson had nine points in the first half for Stanford, which led by 11 points after 10 minutes, 20 at halftime and 30 with seven minutes to play.
The pounding continued in the second half, when Matt Lottich hit
back-to-back 3-pointers to give Stanford a 32-point lead with two
minutes left.
Cal lost at Haas Pavilion for just the second time this season.
For the second time in four weeks, the Golden Bears appeared
physically capable of matching Stanford but mentally unable to
overcome the pressure of facing their archrivals.
"I didn't execute the game plan Coach gave us," point guard Shantay Legans said. "We needed more mental toughness. We tried to do all these things we don't normally do."
Cal shot poorly throughout, finishing at 39 percent, and was
prone to crucial defensive lapses, particularly against the
slippery Jacobsen. In a reflection of Cal's nervous play, Nick
Vander Laan airballed two free throws while missing four straight
in the second half.
Sean Lampley, the Bears' leading scorer and rebounder, missed seven of his first nine shots before finishing with 15 points and just three rebounds against six turnovers.
Vander Laan had 12 points and six rebounds inside against Stanford, which found out Saturday that backup center Curtis Borchardt is out for the year with a broken foot.
Many Cal students began waiting outside Haas Pavilion on Friday night for the game. Inside, the students jeered Stanford forward Mendez, who playfully questioned their intelligence earlier this week, and Mike McDonald, who accused the Bears of excessive whining when the teams met last month.
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ALSO SEE
Men's College Basketball Scoreboard
Stanford Clubhouse
California Clubhouse
Stanford reserve Borchardt out for rest of season
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Casey Jacobsen feeds Jarron Collins for a jam.
avi: 519 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Tony Giovacchini and Justin Davis hook up to make it a long night for the Bears
avi: 1106 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Sean Lampley slams home the alley-oop from Shantay Legans.
avi: 923 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Jarron Collins rebounds his brother's miss and goes back up for a score and the foul.
avi: 747 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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