Late Run Leads Cal Past Seattle U

Postgame Notes | Box Score (PDF) | Boxscore

BERKELEY – California clamped down defensively and used a late run to get past Seattle U, 70-65, and earn a third straight victory Tuesday afternoon at Haas Pavilion.
 
The Bears (5-4) got two big shots down the stretch from Joel Brown, who tied a career high with 12 points to go along with four rebounds. Andre Kelly grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds and scored eight points while Ryan Betley tallied a team-leading 17 points and dished out three assists.
 
Cal outscored Seattle U, 37-28, in the second half, holding the Redhawks to just 18 percent (11-of-26) shooting over the final 20 minutes of action. The Bears had a 19-2 advantage in points off of the bench.
 
Riley Grigsby led Seattle U (5-5) with 20 points and eight rebounds.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Bears struggled to find their rhythm and shooting stroke early on as Seattle U built a 17-9 lead, forcing a Cal timeout with 11:51 left in the first half. Kuany Kuany – who tied a career-high with 11 points – scored six on his first three attempts from the field, but the Redhawks still led 28-20 at the third media timeout of the opening frame.

Kelly converted an and-1 opportunity to pull the Bears within four, 37-33, at the break. He grabbed seven rebounds in the first 20 minutes and Betley led the Bears with seven first-half points. 

Cal opened the second half with better efficiency on the offensive end and closed the SU lead to just one at 45-44 with 14:34 left in the game. With added defensive intensity, the Bears forced three straight turnovers and held Seattle U without a field goal for more than three minutes as Betley knocked down a three to give Cal its first lead at 55-53.

The Bears retook the lead, 61-60, on a Brown 3-pointer with just over two minutes to go. Brown knocked down another from beyond the arc next time down to make it a 6-0 Cal run and a 63-59 lead as Seattle called timeout with 1:38 left in the game. Cal added four more points to the run and made free throws down the stretch to close out the game.
 
UP NEXT
The Bears return to Pac-12 play on Dec. 31 with a New Year's Eve clash at Oregon. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. PT from Matthew Knight Arena and will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks.
 
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