Golden Nuggets: Cal overcomes "stagnant" start in victory over Washington State

Cal left Saturday with a win over Washington State that looks pretty on the scoreboard, but only came after the Bears allowed the Cougars to stay tight for the first half. At the post-game press conference, the Bears addressed the slow start.

"We didn't come out with the same energy ... today we were a little stagnant," [Justin] Cobbs said.

But thanks to some great zone defense, the Bears exploded at the start of the second half, turning the game into a one-sided affair.

"Defense gets us easy baskets," guard Tyrone Wallace said. "That's when everybody starts getting happy."

The game resulted in a few statistical updates for those of you keeping track. Unfortunately, Richard Solomon was one rebound short of posting his seventh double-double this season. In good news, the win pushed Coach Mike Montgomery into third place for two lists: Pac-12 coaches with the most wins and Cal coaches with the most wins.

And I particularly like the following quote. For no particular reason.

Jabari: Best part of being at Cal? 'Going to school for free.' Smart man.

— GoldenBlogs (@GoldenBlogs) January 18, 2014

Men's Soccer

• Cal's stellar representation in the MLS Draft should eliminate all doubt that the Bears are the best of the best
• Let's take one last look at some of these draftees while they're still in the blue and gold

Women's Tennis

• The Bears are rolling deep with four players ranked in the top 31 of the ITA singles poll
• The no. 8 Bears were dominant on the first day of the Cal Winter Invitational, winning 11 of 12 matches

Men's Basketball

• If the Bears were already on the verge of cracking the Top 25, how will the win over WSU affect things?
• Phil Collins + Richard Solomon dunking. Nuff said.

• And a look at how Solomon has stepped up his game to help lead the Bears during their great play

Women's Basketball

• No. 15/15 Cal (12–4, 4–1 in Pac-12) lost a Top-20 showdown against no. 19/24 Arizona State (CalBears.com and SFGate coverage)
• Brittany Boyd is on the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 20 List

Men's Water Polo

• Nine Bears have picked up MPSF All-Academic recognition

Men's Swimming and Diving

• A Q&A with Calympian Nathan Adrian, discussing the travelling lifestyle of an Olympian

Women's Swimming and Diving

• The Bears continue to train in beautiful Hawaii

Rugby

• The Golden Bears (3–0) started the 15s season with easy wins over UCSB, UC Davis, and UC Riverside at the All-UC Tournament/Dennis Storer Classic

Women's Gymnastics

• Cal lost to Utah despite the Bears receiving their highest score in a home opener in school history
• Leilani Alferos has gone above and beyond to serve her community

Football

• Jon Wilner gazes into his crystal ball for 2014's Pac-12 standings—Cal continues to occupy the Pac-12 basement and Coach Mike "The One Who Got Away" brings Colorado out of the Pac-12 South basement.
• A look at the Xs and Os that make the Seahawks' DL Brandon Mebane an underappreciated asset for the defense, including his use of the "Stunt 4-3" move on OL Brian De La Puente from Cal