STANFORD — Dorian Pickens scored 23 points, Reid Travis had 19 with nine rebounds and Stanford held on to beat Cal 73-68 on Friday night.
Marcus Allen added 11 points for the Cardinal, who overcame an early 12-point deficit to beat their cross-bay rivals for the 21st time in the last 24 meetings between the two teams at Maples Pavilion.
Stanford (13-13, 5-9 Pac-12) won for only the second time in seven games and split the season series with Cal.
Pickens had nine points, including a pair of 3-pointers, as part of a 20-5 run in the second half when the Cardinal pulled away.
After Cal closed within 62-56 on Grant Mullins’ 3-pointer with 4:54 remaining, Allen made two free throws and Pickens scored on a jumper from the free-throw line as he was falling backward onto the court.
Jabari Bird scored 23 points and set a career high with seven 3s for the Golden Bears (18-8, 9-5). Ivan Rabb added 16 points and 13 rebounds after being slowed by foul trouble in the first half.
Cal’s loss was costly. The Bears failed to complete their first season sweep of the Cardinal since 2009-10 and missed a chance to strengthen their position in the Pac-12 standings.
As it is, coach Cuonzo Martin’s team could drop into a tie for fourth depending on the outcome of USC’s game against No. 6 UCLA on Saturday.
Stanford got off to a streaky start. After missing nine of their first 10 shots and falling behind by 12 midway through the first half, the Cardinal made eight in a row and rallied to take a 38-34 halftime lead.
BIG PICTURE
Cal: The Bears continue to build big leads and let them slip away.
This time it was costly as Cal stumbled down the stretch on both ends of the floor.
Rabb’s double-double is the 26th of his career.
Kameron Rooks made his first start since Nov. 25, 2016 in place of center Kingsley Okoroh and finished with two points and three rebounds before fouling out in the second half.
Stanford: The Cardinal shot 44.4 percent in the first half and did a good job getting to the line, a big factor in the first half when Stanford made 12 free throws compared to one for Cal.
The Cardinal coaches all wore green ties as part of a Coaching For Literacy program being emphasized at a number of schools around the country.
UP NEXT
Cal: Returns to Haas Pavilion and hosts No. 7 Oregon on Feb. 22.
Stanford: Hosts Oregon State, last in the Pac-12, at Maples Pavilion on Feb. 22.
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