TUCSON, Ariz. -- Channing Frye and Salim Stoudamire are Arizona's leaders. When Wildcats coach Lute Olson wanted a quick start, they were ready.
Frye had 10 of his 20 points in the first half, when Stoudamire had 12 of his 17, in a 97-76 victory over California on Thursday night. The 14th-ranked Wildcats needed a win badly after being upset by Washington State at home in their last game.
"We wanted to come out and set the tone and put them in a hole," Stoudamire said.
Hassan Adams had 15 points on a perfect night -- 7-for-7 from the field and 1-for-1 from the free-throw line to go with six rebounds, four assists and four steals.
Mustafa Shakur added 10 points and eight assists for the Wildcats (18-4, 8-2 Pac-10), who kept pace with Washington atop the conference standings. The 13th-ranked Huskies beat Southern California 99-69 on Thursday.
"This wasn't the game to play against us," Frye said. "We cured our non-effort and got our recommitment to the defensive end."
Arizona won for the 15th time in 17 games, but the previous outing galled the players and coaches alike -- a lead-blowing debacle after beating Washington State in 38 consecutive games.
The Wildcats came in with an edge, and it showed as they improved to 9-0 when scoring at least 80 points.
Richard Midgley led the Golden Bears (11-9, 4-6) with 18 points and six rebounds. Rod Benson had 12 points and Martin Smith added 11 for Cal, which had a three-game winning streak snapped.
"We didn't come out with a lot of energy," Midgley said. "They kept hitting their shots, and we couldn't run on them."
Reserves played the final five minutes after Jesus Verdejo, who had just entered the game, made a 3-pointer with 5:22 to go, giving the Wildcats an 86-58 lead, their biggest of the game.
The Bears came as close as they were going to get 23 seconds into the second half, when Benson's layup cut their deficit to 46-35.
But that triggered an 18-4 run in which the Wildcats scored the last 11 points to take a 64-39 lead with 13:48 to go on a 3-pointer by Stoudamire.
Smith made two 3-pointers during a 12-1 surge that had Cal within 65-51 with 10:07 left while Olson mixed younger players and starters.
But Arizona came out of it with Frye, Shakur and Adams back on the floor. Frye and Shakur scored off fast breaks, and Adams, the Pac-10 steals leader, had one and dunked to open a 73-53 lead with 8:31 to go.
Cal struggled early against Arizona's zone defense, missing its first seven shots while the Wildcats raced to an 11-0 lead over the opening 4:06.
"We were switching from the man and the zone," Olson said. "They were having more problems with the zone. it was really slowing them down."
Arizona had a 20-point lead midway through the first half, and Cal coach Ben Braun said that was critical.
"I think when our team got down, it took some of the air out of us," Braun said. "I don't remember the last time that happened."
Stoudamire, anxious to redeem himself after missing all five 3-point attempts during a 4-of-14 night against Washington State, was 2-of-4 from beyond the arc in the first half as the Wildcats took a 46-33 lead.
