BERKELEY, Calif. — Tad Boyle talked after Tuesday’s win at Oregon State about Colorado’s need to generate energy off the team’s defense.
Thatap exactly what happened on Thursday night.
The Buffaloes trailed at halftime but turned things around in a hurry, recording a pair of 14-1 runs after halftime to pull away from Cal for a 70-62 victory at Haas Pavilion. It was the Buffs’ fourth consecutive victory, and it was just the second win for CU at Cal in 10 games in Berkeley since joining the Pac-12 Conference.
Cal led 35-28 at halftime but CU ambushed the Bears after halftime, reeling off a 14-1 run capped by consecutive 3-pointers from Evan Battey and Keeshawn Barthelemy. The Buffs held Cal without a field goal for the first 5 minutes, 22 seconds after halftime while surging into the lead.
Cal remained within two points after a 3-point play from Kuany Kuany with 12:50 remaining, but CU took control for good with another 14-1 run.
Cal shot 51.7% in the first half but the Buffs turned up the defensive intensity a few notches after halftime. The Bears missed their first eight shots in the second half and at one point missed 17 of 19, eventually finishing with a 25.0 shooting percentage in the second half. Cal also owned a 17-14 rebounding advantage at halftime, but the Buffs outrebounded the Bears 28-12 after the break.
Jabari Walker continued his double-double run, posting his fifth in a row with 19 points and 15 rebounds, matching the career-high rebounding total he posted two nights earlier at Oregon State. Freshman KJ Simpson enjoyed a strong game off the bench, going 5-for-9 from the field and 8-for-10 at the free-throw line before finishing with a season-high 19 points. Senior Evan Battey also had a strong game, finishing with 18 points, six rebounds, and three assists.
CU (17-9, 9-7 Pac-12) went 21-for-24 at the free-throw line.
Colorado 70, California 62
COLORADO (16-9, 9-7 Pac-12)
Battey 6-10 4-4 18, Walker 6-14 6-6 19, da Silva 1-4 2-2 4, Barthelemy 3-7 1-2 8, Clifford 1-5 0-0 2, Simpson 5-9 8-10 19, O’Brien 0-1 0-0 0, Hammond 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 22-51 21-24 70.
CALIFORNIA (11-16, 4-12 Pac-12)
Anticevich 5-13 0-0 11, Thiemann 1-5 1-2 3, Brown 2-5 0-1 4, Celestine 4-10 1-1 11, Shepherd 2-8 1-2 7, Kuany 3-6 3-3 10, Alajiki 2-4 0-0 6, Anyanwu 0-0 0-0 0, Hyder 2-3 0-0 5, Roberson 0-0 0-0 0, Foreman 2-7 0-0 5. Totals 23-61 6-9 62.
Halftime – California 35-28. 3-Point Goals – Colorado 5-12 (Battey 2-2, Barthelemy 1-1, Simpson 1-2, Walker 1-4, Clifford 0-1, da Silva 0-2), California 10-25 (Alajiki 2-3, Shepherd 2-3, Celestine 2-6, Hyder 1-1, Kuany 1-2, Foreman 1-3, Anticevich 1-6, Brown 0-1). Rebounds – Colorado 39 (Walker 15), California 25 (Kuany 6). Assists – Colorado 9 (Battey, Barthelemy 3), California 12 (Brown, Shepherd 3). Total Fouls – Colorado 10, California 18.
