Jorge Gutierrez scored 21 points, Mark Sanders-Frison had a double-double and California used aggressive rebounding to offset poor shooting in a 65-61 win over Arizona State on Saturday.
Cal (8-7, 1-2 Pac-10) shot just 38 percent but grabbed 18 offensive rebounds and turned back several runs by Arizona State in the second half to avoid its first 0-3 Pac-10 start in 11 seasons.
Allen Crabbe had 17 points and Sanders-Frison finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Golden Bears.
The Sun Devils (8-7, 1-3) struggled for the second straight game without Pac-10 assists leader Jamelle McMillan, shooting 6 for 21 from 3-point range after hitting 1 of 14 against Stanford two days before.
Ty Abbott had 18 points and Rihards Kuksiks added 10 for Arizona State, which never led and missed four straight 3-pointers in the final minute.
