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Yes, the Wildcats won a game for the first time in over a month, beating Cal 76-51 by shooting 49.1 percent from the field and getting 3-pointers from six different players to fall in over the Bears’ zone defense.

“Feels good,� said forward Ryan Luther, who led the Wildcats while tying his season-highs in points (19) and 3-pointers made. “Losing seven in a row is tough.�

But, well, this was California, otherwise known as the perfect cure for literally anyone’s losing streak. The Bears have now lost 15 straight games, and 22 straight in Pac-12 play dating back to last season, plus they also have the 15th worst defensive efficiency in the nation. That includes the absolute worst defensive field-goal percentage in the country, 50.3, so the Wildcats actually shot worse against them Thursday than average for Cal opponents.

And, in fact, the Wildcats actually struggled at times against Cal, especially while shooting just 38.5 percent before halftime and turning the ball over three times in the game’s first five minutes.

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ wasn’t perfect. Cal was worse.

But, more than anything, this: It was a win. Nobody could deny the smiles and fist-hand-chest- slapping the Wildcats did throughout a second half when they shot 58.6 percent and outscored the Bears by 15, nor could anyone discount the vocal fan support that Miller again praised afterward.

“The crowd just stays with us,� Miller said. “Coming on the heels of how we’ve played and what we’ve gone through, I can’t tell you how much that means to the players on our team and the future, and everything that is on the table.�

So, afterward, Miller spoke about the good, and the bad. Aware that Stanford is coming to McKale Center on Sunday with a better team on both ends of the floor than Cal — and perhaps anxious to end their own 0-for-Miller-era streak against the Wildcats — Miller said he told them what’s really up.

“We’ve just had a hard time playing really good for 40 minutes, and those breakdowns kill you,� Miller said. “We had breakdowns tonight. Cal wasn’t able to take advantage of some of them, but on Sunday, Stanford will.�

Miller went on. He said the Wildcats aren’t a good offensive team, but … had some really good moments while scoring 76 points.

The good and the bad, seeking confidence and awareness.

“I’m not at all insinuating that I’m gonna be hard on them and take their confidence,� Miller said. “But the one thing about a player is they know when you’re lying as a coach. They know when you’re sugarcoating different things. They know when you kind of giving him that fool’s gold. They respect the truth.

“But that doesn’t mean that you know you can enjoy a win or a good moment.�

That, they did.

Luther provided many of those moments Thursday, not just by hitting 5 of 8 3-pointers but also by driving inside for a second-half dunk that just about nobody expected.

The Bears, or the Wildcats, that is.

“I mean, obviously I made a few 3s, so they were contesting pretty hard,� Luther said of the Bears. “And the guy just flew by me so I was able to put on a floor and, you know, score it, but I guess my teammates had a few jokes for that.�

They did. Sitting next to Luther on the postgame podium, Devonaire Doutrive cracked a smile when Luther said that, and when asked if he expcted such a move, said “not at all.�

Miller had a joke of his own, too.

“When he jumps, I never think he’s going to dunk,� Miller said with a smile. “I think the ball’s gonna hit the front of the rim and he’s gonna land right on his back. But he surprise you once in a while, for sure.�

Sean Miller on Ryan Luther’s dunking abilities: “When he jumps, I never think he’s gonna dunk. ... He surprises you once in a while.�

— Justin Spears (@JustinESports)

While Luther led the Wildcats in scoring, Chase Jeter had 13 points and seven rebounds, and Doutrive had 11 points, six rebounds and three assists.

The win moved ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ to 15-12 overall and 6-8 in the Pac-12, while Cal dropped to 5-21 and 0-14.

Justice Sueing led Cal with 18 points but was only 6 for 16 from the field and missed all six 3-pointers he tried. UA allowed the Bears to shoot just 30.4 percent.

SEEN AND HEARD:ÌýA lesson from Zion, Ryan Luther from downtown, and a 'pretty' Chase Jeter

Up by 10 at halftime, the Wildcats led just 32-25 in the second half after an early 3-pointer from Cal center Connor Vanover and a fast-break layup from point guard Paris Austin.

But Luther then scored eight straight points, hitting a midrange jumper from 12 feet out and then hitting two 3-pointers, the last right in front of a giddy UA bench.

Justin Coleman also hit a 3-pointer during the Wildcats’ 11-0 run and they led 43-25 with 16:17 left.

Cal later came back to creep within 12 points, 47-35, after a 3-pointer from Matt Bradley, but the Wildcats had 3s from Luther, Doutrive and Dylan Smith during a 90-second span midway through the second half to take a 58-40 lead.

The Wildcats rolled that into a 14-0 run after Alex Barcello added a 3-pointer and Doutrive drove inside for a layup as the game stayed in their control.

Among the six players who hit a 3 for ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ was Smith, who rolled his ankle and was less than 100 percent afterward, Miller said.

There’s no doubt Miller would have liked to see a seventh guy out there hitting one.

But guard Brandon Williams missed his sixth straight game with his injured right knee, and Miller said there was only a “slim chance� that he will play Sunday against Stanford.

But whether Williams plays or not, the Wildcats appear to be together for whatever happens next. Both Miller and Luther said the team didn’t give up or point fingers during their losing streak, and maybe, with that attitude and a little momentum, things can look better ahead.

“Our quest is to continue to grow and learn recognize the things we’re doing well and improve the things that we are,� Miller said. “Maybe here in the next couple of weeks at some point we can welcome Brandon Williams back. I think that would be a big shot in the arm, depth, firepower, scoring.

“And we have 15 wins. Our goal is to try to get more than that and take it one moment at a time.�