California coach Mike Montgomery stomped his foot again and again, waved his hands in every direction and pleaded with players for a spark. One finally came 20 minutes later. Deeper into the season, that might have been too late. Jorge Gutierrez scored a season-high 26 points to go with six rebounds and five assists, and California (No. 23 ESPN/USA Today, No. 24 AP) overcame a shaky first half to match its best start under Montgomery with a 73-57 victory over McNeese State on Monday night.
