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Cal rides Big Max to a win over Oregon
By Morris Phillips February 20, 2010 |
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If you’re hoping for a first Pac-10 regular season championship for the Golden Bears, then the comfortable 64-49 win at Oregon did you good. Unfortunately, this isn’t the year the regular season champ ends up in the NCAA tournament. So if you’re more excited about a NCAA tournament appearance, then the Bears’ resourceful and unpredictable use of their bench probably caught your eye, because it’s becoming more likely that an NCAA bid will be dependent on winning three games in three days at the conference tournament in Los Angeles next month. With Cal’s numbing loss to Oregon State on Thursday, followed by Stanford’s win over the same Beavers on Saturday, the Pac-10 remains topsy-turvy and underwhelming. The result is Cal’s RPI and national profile continue to take hits, making it less likely that they could be the one Pac-10 team to earn an at-large NCAA bid. So that drops the Bears into the same boat with everyone else from Tucson to Pullman, in need of a big weekend at Staples Center culminating with a win March 13 in the championship game. And with that in mind, the Bears continue to get healthier and deeper, just what they’ll need to survive the three-day grind in Los Angeles. Against OSU, Markhuri Sanders-Frison really showed his worth, and on Saturday, Max Zhang, in just five minutes of playing time in the second half, played so well that the Bears separated themselves from the Ducks because of his presence. Zhang’s playing time and contributions have been so sporadic that it seemed unlikely he would even play against Oregon. In the previous four games, he had played a total of 2 minutes, 23 seconds, with DNPs against UCLA and Washington. But with Cal’s 12-point lead down to five with ten plus minutes remaining, Zhang came in and produced. By cutting to the basket, being aggressive, and playing above his shoulders—all things Coach Mike Montgomery has demanded of Zhang—he totaled eight points, one rebound, one block and one assist as Cal pushed the lead back to ten, 57-47 with five minutes left. In the process, Zhang picked up a pair of dunks, made four of five from the foul line, and really threw the Ducks out of rhythm with his length and presence. “Oregon’s zone covered our big guys pretty well, but when Max came in, his height really helped us. He was able to catch the ball high in that tough zone to make some baskets and draw some fouls,” Montgomery said. Of course, Zhang or no Zhang, Oregon struggles to put the ball in the basket in the worst way. Beginning with Zhang’s appearance, and then over the final five minutes, Oregon failed to make a field goal, turning a competitive contest into a snoozer. The last-place Ducks shot just 34 percent for the game and made just 1 of 11 3-pointers. Center Michael Dunigan, who is the closest thing Oregon has to a high percentage shooter, missed the game due to a hip injury. But this was nothing new. In a season that increasingly looks as if it will culminate in the release of Coach Ernie Kent after 13 seasons, the Ducks have fired blanks all year. They shot just 33 percent at Montana, 30 percent at Missouri, and just 29.8 percent at Oregon State, all losses. Even at home, the Ducks managed a clunker, shooting 33 percent in a 14-point loss to Arizona. Tajuan Porter, who along with Aaron Brooks led the Ducks to the Elite Eight as a freshman, is finishing his career as a 34 percent shooter, who can’t manage to keep his spot in the starting lineup. Against the Bears, Porter came off the bench and scored seven points in 25 minutes. The Bears were led by Theo Robertson and Jerome Randle, who each scored 16 points, and combined to make seven 3-pointers. Jamal Boykin bounced back from a poor game at OSU-- likely with Montgomery in his ear about rebounding the entire time—with 5 points and 10 rebounds, six of those on the offensive end. Patrick Christopher struggled, especially in the first half, which ended with the Bears up just one, 24-23. Christopher scored seven points, shooting 3 for 14 and missing all five of his 3-point attempts. “We shot very poorly the first half. I keep telling my guys that there is more ways to help us win than just making baskets,” Montgomery said. |
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