Cal beats Arkansas 85-77 in Maui tourney opener
Arkansas forward Alandise Harris (2) puts up a shot while being defended by California forwards David Kravish (45) and Richard Solomon, right, in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game at the Maui Invitational on Monday, Nov. 25, 2013, in Lahaina, Hawaii. California defeated Arkansas 85-77. (AP Photo/Eugene Tanner)
LAHAINA, Hawaii >> David Kravish had 19 points and 15 rebounds as California beat Arkansas 85-77 in the opening game of the Maui Invitational.
Ricky Kreklow scored 17 points off the bench while three others scored in double-digits for the Golden Bears (5-0).
Cal made just under half its shots as a team — 47.5 percent. The Bears had 24 second-chance points on 19 offensive rebounds, and made eight of 20 3-point attempts (40 percent).
Arkansas led only twice — once in the third minute of play and again at 35-34 after Michael Qualls made a 3-pointer to open the second half. The Bears responded with a 13-4 run in less than three minutes.
Cal built its lead to 13 points after Kravish made a layup to cap an 8-0 run with just over five minutes remaining.
Qualls led Arkansas (3-1) with 21 points.
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The Razorbacks starters scored only 13 combined points. Two regular starters, Qualls and Anthlon Bell, did not start after being late to a team meeting, team officials said. Bell was Arkansas’ second-leading scorer with 16 points. Rashad Madden had 10 points.
Arkansas shot 37.5 percent from the floor and only made two-thirds of its free throws.
Jabari Bird, a Cal freshman who went to high school in nearby Richmond, led the Bears in scoring for most of the game before finishing with 15 points. Justin Cobbs also scored 15, while Richard Solomon scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
The Cal-Arkansas matchup opened the three-day, 12-game tournament in its 30th year. The eight-team field includes three teams in the AP Top 25: No. 8 Syracuse, No. 11 Gonzaga and No. 18 Baylor.
The tournament is hosted by Chaminade, a Division II school in Honolulu, built in part to celebrate the school’s upset win in 1982 over then-No. 1 Virginia.
