When in doubt, let it fly. Oregon State controlled the floor for most of the night Thursday at Haas Pavilion, but a late burst on offense from Cal changed the game completely.

The Bears closed the contest on a 15-2 run sparked by three of the team's 16 3-pointers to seal a comeback victory over the Beavers, 81-73.

Mark Madsen's team trailed by as many as 11 points early in the second half, but the Bears eventually flipped a switch and found an offensive rhythm sparked ignited by a 3-pointer from Jalen Cone with 19:18 to play.

That bucket started a 14-5 run to pull the Bears (12-15, 8-8 Pac-12) within two points changing the complexion of the game. Cone, who hit five 3-pointers and scored all of his 17 points in the second half, and Jalen Celestine were instrumental in pioneering the latest Cal comeback victory.

"Obviously, we shot the ball well," Madsen said. "Guys have been in the gym working the whole season. Some games you're gonna shoot the lights out, some games you're gonna shoot an average way and some games you're not gonna shoot it the way you want to.

"But, our guys really shot it well tonight. And, that was great to see because their hard work is paying off."

Back-to-back breakaway dunks after steals from Celestine helped cap the big early run, and he would eventually hit two 3-pointers in the final 5 minutes as part of hot finish to end the night.

The Cal guard scored 12 of his 15 points in the second half against the Beavers (11-16, 3-13).

"The two steals in a row, the two dunks in a row, I mean, that was phenomenal on his part," Madsen said of Celestine's game-changing stretch. "I told the guys in the locker room, I've never seen a sequence like that in all my years of playing or coaching basketball — consecutive steals, consecutive dunks.

"Hard work, anticipation and a guy making some phenomenal defensive plays. A lot of guys stepped up. I thought that sequence helped change the momentum of the game."

In all, the Bears connected on 16 shots from deep tying a single-game school record for 3-pointers.

Not to be lost in the late flurry is the play of big man Fardaws Aimaq, who logged his 18th double-double of the season after leading the team with 21 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. Aimaq accounted for two 3-pointers in the win and was an impressive 11 for 14 from the free-throw line.

The Bears' big scoring performance in the second half was mostly done without the help of the team's leading scorer. Jaylon Tyson went 3 for 15 in the game and ended the night with just seven points. He did tie Aimaq with a team-high five assists to go along with five rebounds, so the rest of the Cal players don't have any concerns about their productive teammate.

"He had five assists and he played his butt off on the defensive end," Keonte Kennedy said. "He's grown as a player. He's not just one-dimensional where he's a scorer. He can make guys better, he can rebound, he defends. He's growing his game, so he never has a bad game."

Tyson's uncharacteristic scoring performance allowed other players to step up. Madsen noted Grant Newell's play as of late, including his eight points and four rebounds Thursday night, but Kennedy also had bright moments in the game as well.

He finished the game with 11 points and four rebounds and was responsible for three of the team's 16 3-pointers in the win.

The Bears will now look to close out their home schedule with a sweep as Oregon heads to Haas Pavilion this weekend for a Saturday meeting with Cal. Finishing the regular season above .500 remains in play for the Bears as they have four games remaining on the schedule. Tipoff for the matchup against the Ducks is set for 4 p.m. PT.

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