Oregon State bounces back to beat Cal 76-63, Bears honor seniors
BERKELEY – The Oregon State Beavers (20-8, 8-8 Pac-12) recovered from a loss at Stanford on Friday to beat California (10-17, 2-14) Sunday afternoon at Haas Pavilion, 76-63. The victory ended a four-game skid for the Beavers.
Led by four players in double figures, Oregon State pulled away in the fourth quarter beginning with an impressive 10-0 run. While the Bears fought hard for three quarters, in the end, Oregon State’s experienced veterans turned up the defensive pressure and saw success at the free-throw line (6-of-8) in the last ten minutes.
At the outset, things looked up for the Bears. Senior CJ West got the scoring started for Cal with a second-chance layup seconds after the Bears won the jump ball. Senior guard-forward Jaelyn Brown followed up with a jumper giving the Bears a 4-0 start and their biggest lead of the game.
With layups from freshman forward Taylor Jones and senior guard Mikayla Pivec, the Beavers tied the game at 4-4. From then on until the end of the quarter, it was a back and forth contest that included four ties and four lead changes. Cal freshman guard Leilani McIntosh ended the period with a jumper in the paint at the buzzer to give the Bears 16-14 lead heading into the second quarter.
Pivec put her team back in the lead, 18-16, at the outset of the second period with a layup and free throws. The teams continued to trade baskets, albeit at a snail’s pace until the end of the period.
A driving layup and a free throw from redshirt junior guard Destiny Slocum gave Oregon State their biggest lead of the quarter, 25-22, with 1:12 to go. Cal freshman guard Cailyn Crocker made a jumper at the buzzer to get her team within one heading into the break. The Beavers led the Bears 25-24 at halftime.
With six players scoring in the third quarter, Oregon State began to pull away from the home team. Senior guard/forward Maddie Washington led her team in the period with eight points while Pivec and Slocum scored six points apiece. The Beavers earned their first double-digit lead, 44-34, at 3:05 in the third period after a driving layup from Slocum.
With a 52-43 lead to begin the last period, Oregon State raced to the finish, starting off with a 10-0 run and increasing their lead to 17. While the Bears continued to fight, they were unable to build any momentum.
Pivec earned a game-high with 24 points along with seven rebounds. Slocum contributed 17 points and five rebounds. Washington added 10 points and six rebounds. Jones was also in double digits with 10 points and five rebounds.
Brown and Crocker led Cal with 17 points each with Brown collecting six rebounds and Crocker grabbing four.
Senior Night and the Season
.@CalWBBall senior Chen Yue's message to kids in China who love and excel at sports: "You don't have to sacrifice your academics to pursue your sports dream." She has proved that and wants other kids to realize that they can have the best of both worlds. pic.twitter.com/O2vMi85IhP
— Hoopfeed.com ? (@hoopfeed) February 24, 2020
Cal honored its seniors pregame: Chen Yue, Sara Anastasieska, Mi’Cole Cayton, CJ West, and Brown. In coming to Cal, Yue became the first-ever Chinese woman to play NCAA Division I basketball.
The Bears had their share of setbacks over the season with injuries and concussions, including losing Cayton for the season in December after she had surgery to repair damaged cartilage in her right knee. Head coach Charmin Smith was remarked on the team’s camaraderie over the season throughout their struggles.
“We just really enjoyed playing with one another,” Smith said. “I know we didn’t play particularly well today, but just the feeling the commitment to one another, I think is truly something special.”
Cal heads to the Southwest to play Arizona State on Feb. 28 and Arizona on March 1. Oregon State goes home to host Washington and Washington State next weekend.
The Pac-12 Tournament begins March 5 in Las Vegas.
