Cal Bears Hang on for First Conference Road Win Against Huskies

It wasn’t easy, but the Cal Bears walked away from Alaska Airlines Arena with their first conference road win as they look to right the road ship.

Before Thursday night’s game, Cal Bears‘ junior Jordan Mathews said the “NCAA tournament isn’t played at Haas Pavilion… we have to find a way to win on the road”. The Bears began their attempt to reverse their road fortunes with a 78-75 win away from home against the Washington Huskies (16-10, 7-7 in conference), coming away with their first road conference win.

At Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle, Washington, Cal was jumpstarted by their freshman sensation Jaylen Brown, who scored the game’s initial five points. Washington would buckle down and go on a six-point run before the games’s first timeout. The two teams traded baskets back-and-forth for a long time in the first half, and the game was knotted at 16 after 10 minutes. At the under-eight minute media timeout, Cal held a 21-19 lead despite turning the ball over eight times and having five shots blocked by Washington, including two by both Malik Dime and Marquese Chriss.

Washington went on a run, taking a 29-25 lead at the next stoppage in play. Cal answered back with a miniature run of their own to end the half, and the game was tied at 34 after the game’s first 20 minutes. Mathews did his best to change Cal’s road woes, scoring nine points and leading the team’s late first-half comeback attempt. He came out hot after the break as well, hitting a three from NBA range, and scoring three the old-fashioned way on the very next possession.

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Cal got their biggest run started with about 11 minutes to go in the game, and it all started with an and-one from freshman Ivan Rabb for his first bucket of the game. Those three points gave Cal a 51-49 lead, and they wouldn’t look back. Rabb’s basket got Cal started on a 13-4 run to give them a 61-53 edge. Washington made a furious run in the final two minutes, getting to within one point in the final minute, but Cal held on and came away with a three-point win.

Brown led the way for the Bears, scoring a game-high 23 points, making seven of his 13 shot attempts. As is becoming his calling card, he also added a few monster dunks, including this one:

Mathews added 18 points, as did senior guard Tyrone Wallace, who hit some big free throws down the stretch. Big man Kameron Rooks only scored two points, but he pulled down 14 rebounds, including four off the offensive glass, off the bench. Rabb scored eight total points, and grabbed 13 rebounds of his own.

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Reigning Pac-12 Player of the Week Jabari Bird, Cal’s junior guard, followed up his great week against the two Oregon schools (23.5 points per game, 64.3 percent shooting, 6.5 rebounds) with a very quiet game. He scored only two points on 1-of-5 shooting.

Washington’s senior Andrew Andrews, who entered the game as the Pac-12’s top scorer, had another nice game, scoring 18 points total, including a couple of big three-pointers down the stretch. He missed a portion of the second half, going to the locker room after a nasty collision with Wallace as both went after a loose ball. He returned soon after, but looked a little out of it, despite draining some big shots as Washington attempted their comeback.

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With the win over the Huskies, Cal improves to 18-8 overall on the year, and 8-5 within the Pac-12. They remain 16-0 in the comforts of their home court, and are now 2-8 on the road. The Bears will look to continue their upward trend on the road on Sunday, when they will travel about 300 miles east to Pullman, Washington for a matchup with the Washington State Cougars at Beasley Coliseum. Wazzou presents a good opportunity for Cal, as they are 9-17 overall, and are last in the Pac-12 with a 1-13 mark. Overall they’ve lost 12 in a row.