Arizona 88; California 75

BERKELEY, Calif., Feb. 28 (UPI) -- Salim Stoudamire and Luke Walton each scored 20 points Thursday night as top-ranked Arizona topped Pac-10 rival California, 88-75.

With the victory, the Wildcats snapped a 17-game winning streak at Haas Pavilion for the No. 21 Golden Bears.

"Luke Walton and Salim Stoudamire played almost flawless basketball tonight," said California Coach Ben Braun.

Channing Frye and Jason Gardner added 15 points apiece for Arizona (22-2, 14-1 Pac-10), which remained 1 1/2 games ahead of second-place Stanford, and dropped California (19-6, 12-4) 2 1/2 games back in the conference race. The Wildcats have won the last nine games in the series.

"It gets crazy here, but all the guys love that," Gardner said. "We love coming in with crazy crowds like this, with all sorts of signs and heckling. That's what college basketball is all about, and that's what we love."

Stoudamire and Walton each shot 7-of-9 from the floor, with Stoudamire tying a career high with six three-pointers. Both players had 12 points in the first half as the Wildcats jumped out to a 46-35 advantage.

"Salim bailed them out time and time again by hitting the big shots," Braun said. "He's a pressure player, he's very confident, and he shows you what he's all about."

California got to within 60-57 on a jumper by Conor Famulener with 11:10 remaining, but Walton countered with a follow layup to commence a 13-4 burst over the next 6 1/2 minutes. Arizona led by double digits thereafter.

"We tried to keep the pressure on teams and make those types of runs," Walton said. "When you're on the road and you can make a run like that, that's what separates you from other teams, and I think it all has to do with our defense."

It was the Wildcats' ninth consecutive road triumph and seventh in a row overall.

"The leadership of seniors is so vital," Olson said of Walton and Gardner. "They make big plays down the stretch. We've played four consecutive games in which we played our best."

Brian Wethers scored 18 points, Joe Shipp had 17, and Amit Tamir 16 for the Golden Bears, who had the only perfect home-court mark in the Pac-10, and had not lost at home since a 68-58 setback against Arizona on Jan. 31, 2002.