Washington State used an 8-0 run to take its biggest lead at 51-36 on Williams’ layup with 12:14 left in the second half. The Golden Bears (5-7, 0-5) closed within seven when Jalen Celestine’s 3-pointer made it 65-58 with 1:09 left but got no closer.
Andre Kelly had 11 points, and Ryan Betley and Lars Thiemann added 10 points each for Cal.
The Bears’ leading scorer, Matt Bradley, missed his first full game after injuring his left ankle in the first half of Cal’s 73-64 loss to Oregon State on Saturday.
Washington State travels to Santa Cruz, California, to face Stanford and California hosts Washington both on Saturday.