Cal holds off Mississippi 77-74 in NIT first round

March 16, 2011BOXSCORENCAASCOREBOARDCAL PAGE
BERKELEY(AP)Jorge Gutierrez scored 25 points and made two free throws with 14.8 seconds left to help California hold off Mississippi 77-74 in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament on Wednesday night.Allen Crabbe had 20 points and Harper Kamp added 11, including a key basket down the stretch, one day after receiving IV treatments due to the flu.California (18-14), which played without starting center Markhuri Sanders-Frison, advanced to play at top-seeded Colorado on Friday. The Buffaloes beat Texas Southern 88-74 earlier.Chris Warren scored 23 points for Ole Miss (20-14) and became the fourth player in Southeastern Conference history to have 2,000 points and 400 assists in his career. Zach Graham added 17 points.Ole Miss, which lost in the semifinals of the NIT a year ago, pulled within 73-72 after Warren's driving layup with 49.8 seconds remaining. After Kamp made a 13-foot jumper for Cal, Mississippi's Terrance Henry sank two free throws before Gutierrez sealed the win for the Bears.Henry's desperation 3-pointer bounced off the front of the rim and bounced away as time expired.Gutierrez made his first five shots from the floor and had 17 points in the first half. Crabbe then led Cal's charge in the second half when the Bears held off the Rebels down the stretch."If (Gutierrez) doesn't make some plays, who knows," Cal coach Mike Montgomery said. "Jorge was ready to play. If he didn't, we were going to struggle and I think he knew that."
VIDEO: Mike Montgomery postgame
Sanders-Frison, Cal's leading rebounder, dislocated his right shoulder in practice on Tuesday and watched the game on the bench with his arm in a sling.Freshman Richard Solomon, who started in place of Sanders-Frison, went to the bench six minutes into the game with a bloody nose after getting hit in the face. Solomon later returned and finished with five points while tying his season-high of 10 rebounds.Ole Miss trailed by eight points early in the second half but crept back into the game behind Warren and Henry."They knocked in rhythm shots early and then it became contagious," Rebels coach Andy Kennedy said. "I thought our guys did a good job of weathering that and getting back in the game. Unfortunately we've been on this side more times than we would like to admit."Warren made a 3-pointer early in the first half to join LSU's Pete Maravich, Tennessee's Allan Houston and Georgia's Litterial Green as the only players in SEC history with 2,000 points and 400 assists.California's game against Colorado is a preview of sorts for next season when the Buffaloes join the conference and it becomes the Pac-12.