LOS ANGELES -- The California Golden Bears came into storied Pauley Pavilion to face a team ranked higher than any they'd beaten in almost seven years.
They weren't impressed.
"A ranking is just a number by a name," said Ayinde Ubaka, who scored 18 points, including a basket in the final minute after grabbing a loose ball. "We knew we could do it. We believed."
California beat No. 11 UCLA 68-61 on Saturday, ending the injury-depleted Bruins' eight-game winning streak.
"This didn't come out of nowhere," Cal's Devon Hardin said. "I knew from the moment we walked into this gym that we were going to win this game.
"I'm kind of tired from yelling," Hardin added over shouts coming from the Cal locker room.
Omar Wilkes and Richard Midgley each had 15 points and Leon Powe added 12 rebounds for the Golden Bears (8-3, 2-0 Pac-10), who hadn't beaten a team so highly ranked since defeating then-No. 7 Arizona on Feb. 25, 1999.
Arron Afflalo had 19 points for UCLA (11-2, 1-1).
The Bruins pulled within two points on a jumper by Jordan Farmar with 1:06 to play. Afflalo stripped the ball from Ubaka under Cal's basket on the following possession, but Ubaka immediately grabbed it back and scored, giving the Bears a 62-58 lead.
"He stripped it. All ball," Ubaka said. "We both went for it. I got it back. I put it in."
Cal coach Ben Braun said of Ubaka: "I can't tell you how much he has improved as a player and a leader. He wanted the ball in his hands."
Cal shot 60 percent from the field, 66.7 percent in the second half.
The Bruins were 18-of-49 from the field (36.7 percent), and were overpowered in the frontcourt by the 6-foot-8 Powe and 6-10 Rod Benson. Playing without injured 7-foot senior centers Ryan Hollins and Michael Fey, UCLA was outrebounded 32-25.
"They took it to us physically," UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "They beat us on the glass. We seemed to be a step slow."
Braun said Powe's rebounding was essential.
"I told Leon Powe that this was one of the best games he's played for us," Braun said. "It's not easy when you have two physical teams going at each other."
Powe had eight rebounds in the first half.
The Bears swept UCLA and USC in Los Angeles for the first time since 2000. Cal won its conference opener 62-58 over Southern California on Thursday.
UCLA took its only second-half lead on a three-point play by Ryan Wright that put the Bruins up 44-41 with 9:25 to play.
Midgley tied it at 44 with a 3-pointer, starting a 10-3 run that gave Cal its biggest lead of the game, 54-47 with 3:55 to play.
The Bruins were also without their No. 3 scorer, senior starter Cedric Bozeman, who missed his second game after tearing cartilage in his left shoulder at practice on Tuesday. He'll miss at least three weeks, and could be out for the season.
Fey has missed most of the season with a sprained ankle and Hollins started the first five games before straining his groin, leaving UCLA just one senior on its roster.
Farmar's status had been in doubt until game time after he sprained his right ankle in the second half of Thursday's victory over Stanford.
"It was stiff," Farmar said. "But we're going to have to play through these challenges. We're getting our character tested."
Before Saturday, the Bruins hadn't allowed the injuries to affect their record. They put together their winning streak against less-than daunting opponents, just sliding by teams such as Wagner and Coppin State.
UCLA's only victory over a ranked opponent was over then-No.17 Nevada on Dec. 10, and lost to its only other ranked opponent Memphis, then ranked 11th, on Nov. 23.
After eight first-half lead changes, Midgley made a 3 with 2:12 to go to give Cal its biggest lead, 28-23.
Afflalo made a layup to bring UCLA within 28-25, but Benson quickly answered with a layup to give Cal a 30-25 halftime lead.
Ubaka had eight points on 3-of-4 shooting in the first half.
