BERKELEY, Calif. — Brook Lopez called it a “must win.” Mitch Johnson reminded his teammates that every Pacific-10 Conference game was critical for Stanford’s post-season hopes. The Cardinal had lost to California, 67-63, a month ago at home, and no one wanted to give the Bears their first season sweep since 1992-1993.

“We were not going to let them punk us like last time,” said sophomore forward Lawrence Hill, after the game.

Stanford got the message, as the Cardinal (15-6, 7-3 Pac-10) raced to an early double-digit lead, withstood a Cal comeback attempt and ran away with a 90-71 victory on Saturday. Hill made good on his words with a game-high 24 points on red-hot 10-for-13 shooting, while senior forward Fred Washington had his best all-around game of the season with 21 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists.

Guard Ayinde Ubaka scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half for the Bears (12-10, 4-6), well short of his season-high 26 that doomed the Cardinal on Jan. 3. Freshman forward Ryan Anderson, averaging 16.9 points per game on the season, scored only 11 points on 4-for-11 shooting, thanks to the stifling defense of Stanford freshman centers Brook and Robin Lopez.

Stanford “just looked different” than the team Cal beat a month ago, Anderson said.

“Different guys were stepping up,” he said. “Everyone was contributing.”

The Cardinal especially enjoyed the contributions from Washington, whose defense, ball handling and other intangibles usually don’t show up in the box score. But the senior was more aggressive than usual on Saturday, driving toward the basket with reckless abandon and setting up his teammates for easy buckets.

“I just feel like I needed to attack the basket,” Washington said. “I don’t care about scoring as long as we’re winning. I just do what is asked.”

Stanford also received a boost from its performance at the free-throw stripe, where it has struggled at times this season. The Cardinal made 22 of its 24 free throws, including 12 of 12 in the final minutes to ice the victory.

“Don’t tell anyone, but that’s exceptional for us,” Stanford head coach Trent Johnson said. “This is probably the best game we’ve played on the road.”

Despite an early 20-4 lead, the Card’s sloppy play midway through the half allowed the Bears back into the game. Freshman guard Jerome Randle frustrated Stanford with his quickness and accuracy from beyond the arc, sparking an 8-0 Bears run. Indicative of his team’s frustration at the time, Brook Lopez committed a sloppy offensive foul and Johnson sat the freshman down to offer some words of wisdom.

“He told me not to worry about it and to calm down,” Lopez recalled afterward. “I was a little annoyed; mad at myself, really.”

But Lopez and the Cardinal regained their composure. The freshman took over the game in the waning minutes of the first half, scoring the Cardinal’s final five points before the break with a deadly jumper from the baseline. Ubaka hit a running jumper with five seconds left to bring the Bears within 35-29 midway. Lopez ended the half with 15 points on red-hot 7-of-9 shooting from the field, finishing the game with totals of 19 points and seven rebounds.

Cal opened up the second half on a tear; it got within four points after an Ubaka three-pointer, six minutes into the period. But Stanford clamped down on defense, going on an 8-0 run, thanks largely to the post defense of Robin Lopez. Lopez had three blocks during the span and finished the game with a team-high five.

Saturday was the second of two games in which the Cardinal opened up a big lead early, but unlike Wednesday’s double-overtime loss to Gonzaga, Stanford demonstrated an ability to withstand the opposing team’s run.

Hill admitted that his team had learned its lesson from the defeat earlier in the week.

“Now we know that the little things are the most important,” he said.

As expected in such a heated rivalry, things grew chippy between the two teams at times. Robin Lopez drew the ire of the Cal faithful after inadvertently elbowing Anderson, while sophomore guard Anthony Goods drew a technical foul in the second half for flipping the ball in the direction of Cal center Taylor Harrison. And, at halftime, two members of the 6th Man Club attempted to brave the quarters of the Cal student cheering section, only to be nearly assaulted by some unruly fans.