ded properly. The coach received a contract extension Tuesday taking him through 2020-21.Now, Bird and sophomore forward Ivan Rabb are the two

ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands -- Abdul-Malik Abu scored 25 points, and North Carolina State pulled away in the second half to beat Montana 85-72 Friday in the opening day of the Paradise Jam tournament.Dennis Smith Jr. added 21 points and Torin Dorn had 16 for the Wolfpack (3-0), who didnt overcome a pesky Grizzlies team until midway through the second half.Montana (0-3) had battled with N.C. State, even leading 40-38 at the half in a game that had 10 ties and 14 lead changes. But the final lead change went the Wolfpacks way, thanks to a 12-2 run that put N.C. State in command.We had to dig down in the second half, N.C. State coach Mark Gottfried said. Defensively, we were a lot better in the second half. From the 15-16 minute mark down, we really defended really well.The Wolfpack went on to lead by as many as 16 points, going up 77-61 with 2:31 remaining on Terry Hendersons 3-pointer.Walter Wright had 22 points, Ahmaad Rorie 15 and Sayeed Pridgett 12 for the Grizzlies.We tried to do a little too much, Montana coach Travis DeCuire said. We were playing well together on both sides of the ball, but they hit a stretch where they started hitting some tough shots. We let some guys get going.BIG PICTUREMontana: The Grizzlies are off to their worst start in coach Travis DeCuires three seasons. Under DeCuire, Montana has gone 20-13 and 21-12.N.C. State: Finally has a win over a team from the Big Sky -- the only one of the 31 Division conferences the Wolfpack did not have a victory against. N.C. State was 0-1 against the conference all time, having lost to Weber State 94-80 in the 1993 Great Alaska Shootout.UP NEXTMontana: Plays the loser of Friday nights Washington State-No. 22 Creighton game on Saturday.N.C. State: Faces the Washington State-Creighton winner in the semifinals on Sunday. Crystal Dunn Jersey . Pirlo limped out of Sundays 1-0 win over Udinese after just 13 minutes. Juventus says Pirlo underwent tests on Monday which revealed he has "a second-degree lesion to the collateral medial ligament in his right knee. McCall Zerboni Jersey . Instead of dwelling on the negative, Oates focused on what was good about the clubs recent play. It worked. http://www.officialsocceruswntshop.com/lindsey-horan-usa-jersey/ .Y. -- Bills receiver Stevie Johnson has a bone to pick with the NFL schedule maker. Kelley OHara Jersey . Tuesdays surgery at Atlantas Piedmont Hospital was performed by Dr. Xavier Duralde and Hawks team physician Dr. Michael Bernot. Allie Long USA Jersey . -- The Sacramento Kings are set to become the first major professional sports franchise to accept Bitcoin virtual currency for ticket and merchandise purchases. BERKELEY, Calif. -- Jabari Bird realizes the scrutiny surrounding the California program for the way last season ended.It became impossible to ignore given the embarrassing finish on several fronts -- the basketball on the court, and what was transpiring off it.Cal lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Hawaii. There were distractions before the Golden Bears even took the court in Spokane, Washington , however.Last years end of the season was extremely motivational. It didnt end the way we wanted it to end, Bird said. We had some unfortunate circumstances.The university reviewed whether coach Cuonzo Martin properly handled sexual harassment allegations against former assistant coach Yann Hufnagel , now at Nevada. An administrative review showed that all department employees -- including Martin -- responded properly. The coach received a contract extension Tuesday taking him through 2020-21.Now, Bird and sophomore forward Ivan Rabb are the two returning regular starters from last season, while point guard Sam Singer played regularly during the absences of injured star Tyrone Wallace.Here are some things to watch for with the Bears:RABBS RETURN: After discussing it with his family, Rabb opted to stick around and extend his college career right at home in the Bay Area -- and thats a big boost for the Bears. A surprise to many as well.Rabb averaged 12.5 points and 8.6 rebounds during his freshman season, helping Cal get back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013. He had been projected as a first-round draft pick.Its great to have him back. Ive said it before, one of the best guys Ive ever been around as a basketball player, as a young man, and student-athlete, Martin said. He has all the parts to be successful in life, whether hes playing basketball or not. ... He takes pride in going to class and being successful. Not just going, but he wants to be good. He wants to get a degree. He represents the Bay Area. He takes a tremendous amount of ppride in that.ddddddddddddONE AND DONE: Jaylen Brown bid farewell to Berkeley after one season to make the NBA leap.Now, Cal will count on big contributions from 7-footers Kingsley Okoroh and Kameron Rooks.Martin realizes some players will only stay for one year, and he accepts that.I recruit young men that I like to be around, he said. I dont care if theyre rough around the edges, they come from East St. Louis, like I come from, wherever they come from, I just want to be a part of a young mans life to put him in a position to be successful in life.SWITCHING SHOOTERS: When guard Jordan Mathews unexpectedly decided to transfer to Gonzaga, the Bears needed another shooter. They landed Grant Mullins, a graduate transfer from Columbia who will certainly be called upon to help pick up a chunk of the scoring load in his one season for the Bears.TOP FRESHMAN: Freshman Charlie Moore, a 5-11 guard from Chicago, was considered a top recruit out of Illinois and should make an immediate impact. His teammates have been impressed with his speed and maturity adjusting to the college demands.Moore averaged 28 points, seven assists, five steals and four rebounds during his senior high school season at Morgan Park.Hes dynamic, Bird said. Super talented for a kid that young to come in. He hasnt really hit a bump yet as far as Ive seen so far in practice where he couldnt have handled it.THE SCHEDULE: The Bears went a school-record 18-0 at home in Haas Pavilion, where Cal will be tested with most of its early games on the schedule in Berkeley and a date with powerhouse Virginia on Dec. 21 before Arizona visits Dec. 30 to open Pac-12 Conference play. Cal is riding a 19-game home winning streak overall.The Bears also face San Diego State on Nov. 21 at new Golden 1 Center in Sacramento -- the home of the Kings -- that will host the NCAA Tournament next March. ' ' '