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Cal loses tourney crown to Washington, NCAA's up next
By Morris Phillips March 13, 2010 |
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In an exciting conference championship game that in 40 minutes did more than the entire season in restoring the reputation of Pac-10 basketball, Washington outlasted the Cal Bears, 79-75. The Bears had an opportunity to tie the game with four seconds left, but Jerome Randle, attempting to miss a second free throw attempt intentionally, entered the lane early and was charged with a turnover. Had Randle not been whistled, teammate Jamal Boykin was in position to recover the ball. Washington’s Venoy Overton hit a pair of free throws to increase the Huskies lead to four, and seal it. "I thought we were in position. I thought Jamal had it. It's rare that an official would call a violation, so you just have to beat them to the middle," Coach Mike Montgomery said. Washington needed a conference tourney run to secure an NCAA bid, and they did that and more, adding a third win and the automatic bid to their wins Thursday and Friday, that likely would have earned them an NCAA spot had they not gotten past the Bears. The Huskies also won the tournament title in 2005. “What a college basketball game. It was obvious something was on the line for both teams,” Washington Coach Lorenzo Romar said. Cal, with wins in eight of final ten games and the Pac-10 regular season title, still is hopeful for favorable seeding when the tournament pairings are announced at 3pm. But the loss, does create a little doubt where they might end up, and whether they will be an eight seed or better, and obstensibly favored in their opener. “I think we’re a good team, and we’ll take what were given. Hopefully it’s a matchup that’s favorable to us,” Montgomery said. In a game of runs, the Bears hoped to ride theirs, a 14-0 run that put them up by five, 66-61 with 6:07 remaining. But the Huskies responded with their own 12-2 run and held on down the stretch. The Bears were hurt by the Huskies uncharacteristic hot shooting. Washington shot 52 percent for the game one night after they made just 8 of their first 28 shots against Stanford. They also made 17 of their 18 free throw attempts. The Huskies also got more production from their bench, outscoring Cal’s reserves 24-3. That difference in bench production highlighted Montgomery’s quandary: he knew he had to play more people to survive the three-day grind of the tournament, but after the blowout of Oregon in the opener, he rode his starters against UCLA and Washington, and it showed in Cal’s shooting. Patrick Christopher, who was devastating against UCLA and Oregon, but battling sore knees in recent weeks, really struggled, shooting 3 for 11 and grabbing two rebounds. Jerome Randle, the Pac-10 player of the year, who thrilled the Staples Center crowd in Friday’s semifinal win, also struggled, with his shooting and foul trouble. When Randle had to sit, Washington’s Isaiah Thomas fueled the Huskies’ attack with 16 points and two assists. Quincy Poindexter led Washington with 18 points and Justin Holiday contributed seven rebounds. For Cal, Theo Robertson led them in scoring with 25 points, and Boykin looked to score early and often, and did, contributing 20 points and 14 rebounds. Both players were named to the all-tournament team along with Randle. Boykin’s aggressive and improved play will be a theme as the Bears prepare for their NCAA opener. With Boykin scoring and rebounding, the Bears four-pronged attack will be trouble for any opponent, even a bigger, stronger one. Any handicap of the Bears’ chances will have to center on their ability to score in bunches, and shoot at a high percentage. The Bears averaged 83 points a game in the Pac-10 tournament, and that makes them a tourney dark horse, with a legitimate shot at a Sweet 16 or Elite Eight appearance. |
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