Cal MBB collapses in Corvallis
On Saturday, Cal men’s basketball fell to Oregon State by a final score of 73-64. Oregon State senior guard Ethan Thompson led the way for Oregon State with 16 points while junior forward Maurice Calloo chipped in 14 points. As for Cal, junior forward Andre Kelly, sophomore guard Jarred Hyder, and grad transfer guard Makale Foreman all finished with 12 points. Oregon State improves to 5-3 overall and 1-1 in the Pac-12 while Cal falls to 5-6 overall and 0-4 in the Pac-12.
“It was a disappointing loss for a couple of reasons,” Cal head coach Mark Fox lamented after the game. “One, the result of the game but also the loss of Matt Bradley was a huge factor in the game. I don’t want to take anything away from Oregon State. Disappointed in our performance at the free throw line.”
Cal got off to a nice 8-5 lead with 14:51 to go in the half. Ryan Betley and Matt Bradley each had 3 points for Cal. Joel Brown had a pretty layup. Cal was shooting 3-4 from the field early.
Cal would continue to lead up 14-12 with 10:04 to go in the half. Lars Thiemann was getting on a roll inside with 4 points off a jump hook and a pretty put back slam. Matt Bradley was up to 5 points. Things were looking good early for the Bears.
With 7:26 to go in the half, Cal was up 22-14. Betley was up to 6 points on 2-2 shooting from 3-point range while Hyder was on the board with a nice hoop plus the harm. Cal was off to a really solid start.
Cal’s lead extended to 10 points (29-19) with 3:54 to go in the half after Hyder banked in a jumper. Cal was shooting 10-15 (66.7%) from the field while holding Oregon State to 8-19 (42.9%) shooting from the field.
Shortly thereafter, Bradley would go down with an ankle injury, putting no weight on it as he headed to the locker room. Cal was up 29-21 with 3:20 to go in the half, but now had to soldier on without their star player, who would not return to the game. Bradley finished the game on the sidelines in a boot and crutches, cheering on his teammates as best he could.
At the half, Cal led 36-26. Hyder led Cal with 8 points after getting a huge 3-pointer to drop. Jarod Lucas led Oregon State with 9 points. Cal was looking good. The only concern was the ankle injury to Bradley and whether or not they could win without him.
Cal opened up the second half with Makale Foreman in place of Bradley in the starting lineup alongside Betley, Kelly, Thiemann, and Brown. With 18:04 to go, Cal would lead 40-30. Brown got a nice layup inside for Cal and Calloo struck back with a jumper for Oregon State. Right after that, Oregon State head coach Wayne Tinkle called for time, hoping to fire up his squad.
With 14:42 to go, Cal’s lead was cut to four points (43-39). Oregon State had woken up after that timeout from Tinkle. The Beavers were starting to press the Bears and force some turnovers, getting a good flow going in transition. It was definitely a game at this point.
With 11:30 to go, Cal led 50-46 after a huge bucket inside from Joel Brown plus the foul. Cal continued to fight. Brown would not make the free throw to give Cal a five point lead.
Cal still led by four points (55-51) with 7:52 to go. Hyder led Cal with 11 points while Thompson was up to 12 points for Oregon State. It continued to be a battle in Corvallis.
With 5:10 to go, Oregon State would lead 61-56 as a result of a 10-0 run. Thompson was starting to take over with 14 points. As for Cal, it was clear that they were missing the presence of Bradley.
With 3:40 to go, Oregon State led 63-60 after Kelly got a much needed bucket inside for Cal. Cal continued to hang around, but time was starting to run out. Makale Foreman would tie up the game for Cal with a huge 3-pointer before Ethan Thompson struck back with a jump hook inside. With 2:30 to go, Oregon State led Cal 65-63.
After a pair of missed free throws from Lars Thiemann, Cal appeared to be running out of gas. Calloo would get a triple to fall for Oregon State while Hyder would go 1-2 at the foul line. With 30.8 to go, Oregon State held on to a 68-64 lead. Cal still had a chance, but they were in need of some help.
In the end, Oregon State walked out with 73-64 win. Cal had a chance to win this game even without Matt Bradley, but their 14-28 (50.0%) shooting from the foul line really did them in. Had they taken care of business at the line, things might have turned out differently.
“It’s a pretty simple formula,” Fox said about foul shooting. “You gotta have a routine and go to the free throw line and be able to make a free throw and today we did not shoot it well.”
Ultimately for Cal, this is one they would like to have back. The loss of Bradley was obviously crucial and then the free throws as mentioned were a real backbreaker. One of things that appeared to happen was Cal getting worn down in the second half, something Mark Fox admitted was a concern of his at the half.
“One thing I was concerned about was would we wear down,” Fox said. “I was concerned if we would wear down late in the game. They had a more regular rotation in the second half, we gambled on a trap and gave up a pick and pop three. Their experience showed in the second half. We put so much pressure on our defense with our offensive struggles in the second half.”
Touching more on the absence of Matt Bradley and Grant Anticevich, who is still out due to an appendectomy, Fox said it’s really tough to come up with lineups and matchups when two of your top guys are out. Something that doesn’t really need to be said.
“When they’re not on the floor, your stretch four that’s played 30 minutes a game and your leading scorer who has given you a lot is not there, you have to reinvent your lineups,” Fox explained. “You don’t have as much shooting at the four shot and it’s almost a reinvention. It’s harder to space the floor, it’s a challenge really at both ends.”
As far as a return timeline for Bradley and Anticevich is concerned, Fox hasn’t given a clear indication of when Anticevich will be back. But he did say that he’s expecting to miss Bradley for a least a little bit of time.
“It is not a reinjury. It’s a previous injury,” Fox said of Bradley’s ankle. “It’s pretty significant I believe. I don’t think we’ll have Matt for some time.”
Ultimately for Cal, this loss stings. They had a 10 point lead at the half and due to a combination of bad luck on the injury front and hideous foul shooting, they collapsed in the second half. This is not the type of game Cal was hoping to have, but at this point all they can do is put it in the rear view mirror and march forward.
Up next for Cal will be a home game against Washington State on Thursday, January 7 at 7:00 PM PST. The game will air on Pac-12 Networks and KGO 810 AM.