Field Level Media
15 Jan 2022, 01:10 GMT+10
California and Washington State will look to finish what they start Saturday afternoon, unlike their most recent Pac-12 Conference outings, when they allowed leads to disappear late.
The Cougars (9-7, 2-3) will look for their third consecutive win over the Golden Bears (9-8, 2-4) when the teams square off in Pullman, Wash.
On Thursday, the Cougars appeared on their way to a home win over Stanford, leading 35-26 at halftime. But the Cardinal dominated the second half and won 62-57, denying Washington State an opportunity to score back-to-back conference wins after a 77-61 surprise at Utah last Saturday.
Mouhamed Gueye recorded a 16-point, 11-rebound double-double for the Cougars against Stanford, while Michael Flowers continued his impressive season with 12 points.
A graduate transfer from South Alabama, Flowers has put up at least seven points in all 16 Washington State games. He's scored in double figures 11 times.
But Flowers is more than just a scorer, coach Kyle Smith noted this week.
"I didn't expect this," Smith said of Flowers' all-around game. "He's really become a better defender. He's taken on the job of being our top passer. He's good in the pick-and-roll. If he can keep doing that, giving up some of his game for others, that's going to make us the best we can be."
Cal has lost three in a row, including 64-55 at Washington on Wednesday -- a game in which the Golden Bears led 51-47 with 8:32 to go before failing to make another basket until just 16 seconds remained.
The Huskies took control with a 15-0 flurry.
Cal shot well enough to win (50 percent overall) but made just four 3-pointers and three free throws.
"We just got worn out again at the free-throw line," Cal coach Mark Fox lamented of the Huskies' 16-3 scoring advantage at the line. "That's disappointing."
Cal was playing without starting point guard Joel Brown, who was sick and did not make the trip to the Northwest.
It's the first time this season the Bears have lost three in a row, and the skid comes on the heels of a five-game winning streak.
Washington State swept last year's season series with Cal in relatively comfortable fashion, 71-60 on the road in January and 82-51 at home in February.
--Field Level MediaGet a daily dose of Utah Independent news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Utah Independent.
More InformationWASHINGTON, D.C.: The Trump administration has made public a visa decision that would usually be kept private. It did this to send...
MADRID, Spain: Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota and his younger brother, André Silva, have died in a car accident in Spain. Spanish...
LONDON, U.K.: An unrelenting heatwave sweeping across Europe has pushed early summer temperatures to historic highs, triggering deadly...
President Donald Trump's plans to build a space-based Golden Dome missile defense shield have drawn immediate criticism from China,...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Paramount has agreed to pay US$16 million to settle a lawsuit brought by U.S. President Donald Trump over...
LONDON, U.K.: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer won a vote in Parliament this week to move ahead with changes to the country's welfare...
PALO ALTO/TEL AVIV: The battle for top AI talent has claimed another high-profile casualty—this time at Safe Superintelligence (SSI),...
FRANKLIN, Tennessee: Hundreds of thousands of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles are being recalled across the United States due to a potential...
REDMOND, Washington: Microsoft is the latest tech giant to announce significant job cuts, as the financial strain of building next-generation...
LONDON UK - U.S. stock markets were closed on Friday for Independence Day. Global Forex Markets Wrap Up Friday with Greeback Comeback...
SANTA CLARA, California: Nvidia came within a whisker of making financial history on July 3, briefly surpassing Apple's all-time market...
SACRAMENTO, California: California's multibillion-dollar farms are facing a growing crisis—not from drought or pests, but from a sudden...