LAS VEGAS – Utah erased an 11-point deficit over the final 2:17, but the rally came up short in a 78-75 loss to the California Golden Bears in the Pac-12 Tournament Quarterfinals at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The Utes (20-11) trailed 72-61 before sophomore
Sedrick Barefield knocked down a trey to spark a 14-6 run. Utah made it a two-point game, down 73-71, following a deep three-pointer from junior
Kyle Kuzma and Barefield followed making one of two free throws to pull within a point.
Cal's Jabari Bird converted a three-point play at the other end with 15 seconds to play and Kuzma again knocked down another three-pointer to make it 76-75 in favor of the Bears. The Utes were forced to foul with six seconds left in the game. Utah brought the ball up the court, but Barefield's desperation three-pointer to tie the game fell short.
Kuzma finished with 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting, which included going 3-of-5 from downtown. Barefield added 13 pionts off the bench, while both senior
Lorenzo Bonam (12) and junior
David Collette (11) notched double-digit scoring efforts. Bonam led the way with six assists and registered all three of Utah's steals.
Cal out-rebounded the Utes, 33-25, which led to 17 second-chance points. Utah tallied just 10 second-chance points on the night.
Utah shot .518 from the field and .409 from downtown, while Cal tallied a .436 effort from the field overall. The Bears went to the free throw line 27 times and made 22 of those attempts. Utah was 8-of-11 from the charity stripe.