Bears grind out 58-54 win over WSU

It was far from pretty, but it was a third straight conference win. Cal survived a defensive struggle to sneak past Washington State 58-54 Saturday afternoon at Haas Pavilion. The Bears improved to 13-5 overall and 4-2 in Pac-12 competition, good for fourth place in the conference.

“I’ve never been consumed how you win the game, especially in league play, as long as I’m able to say at the end we won the game,” said head coach Cuonzo Martin.

Neither team could find any rhythm offensively, with both squads shooting below 40 percent from the field; Cal shot 39 percent, Washington State just 38 percent. But the Bears turned up the defensive pressure down the stretch, forcing three straight Cougar…