Berkeley, Calif. – In a loss comparable to the Colorado football team’s 29-point blown lead against the Stanford Cardinal, Jaylon Tyson did his best Elic Ayomanor impression as his insane second half rallied the California Golden Bears from 20 points down in a disappointing end to the Colorado men’s basketball team’s first road trip of Pac-12 play.
Tyson, averaging a team-high 20.1 points per game heading into Wednesday night’s matchup, scored a career-high 30 points along with five rebounds and two assists in Cal’s come-from-behind 82-78 win. However, it was his 23 second half points on perfect shooting (8-of-8 FG, 2-of-2 3PT, 5-of-5 FT) that helped propel the Golden Bears to their second win of Pac-12 play. The Golden Bears’ star junior highlighted his night with a poster dunk to give his squad their first lead of the game with 5:38 left as he scored 13 of Cal’s final 21 points.
The special second half performance by Tyson, along with the rest of Cal’s team, spoiled a career night from CU big man Eddie Lampkin Jr. as he scored a career-high 22 points and snagged 11 rebounds in the loss. Lampkin, who was guarded by Fardaws Aimaq, scored 15 of his 22 points in the first half on perfect 6-of-6 shooting from the field.
The loss also soured the return of potential lottery pick Cody Williams after he missed over a month of play due to a wrist injury. While the 6-foot-8 freshman brought his usual defensive prowess as he swatted two shots, he took a while to shake off the rust as he finished the game with 16 points on 5-of-13 shooting along with five turnovers. It wasn’t until the once 20-point Buffs’ lead had dwindled that Williams found his rhythm as he scored seven of Colorado’s final 11 points, including a huge and-one with just over a minute left.
While Tyson’s second half was a glaring factor in the Buffs’ breakdown, it was the overwhelming difference in both teams’ play after halftime that stood out.
Colorado dominated the first half, outshooting Cal from the field (57.7%-23.5%), outrebounding them 22-17, and dishing out five more assists (7-2) as they led by 14 points heading into the break. In the second half, however, Cal flipped all three categories as they outshot Colorado 58.1%-42.4%, outrebounded them 18-17, and notched nine assists to CU’s five.
After a first half where the Golden Bears couldn’t stop the Buffs’ offense while having zero offense of their own, they scored 56 points in the second half as they shot a scorching 9-of-15 (60%) from deep. The change in Cal’s offense resulted from their ability to penetrate Colorado’s defense and find the open man after not being able to do so in the first half.
On a night featuring little optimism for the Buffs, star senior Tristan da Silva scored 20 points (8-of-14 FG) and grabbed six rebounds after struggling on the road to begin the season. Colorado’s starting power forward also tied his season-high of four threes after heading into the game shooting an abysmal 3-of-26 (11.5%) from three on the road. Unfortunately for TDS and the Buffs, his final three-point shot – a wide-open, game-winning look from the left wing with five seconds left, down 80-78 – missed just short before bouncing into the hands of Jalen Cone.
With the Buffs’ three-game road trip resulting in three losses and dropping them to 2-3 in conference play, they return home on Saturday (Jan. 13) to face off against a struggling, shorthanded USC Trojans squad. With Colorado looking to protect their undefeated record on their home floor, they must play a consistent 40 minutes of basketball following the 8 p.m. MT tipoff.
Cover photo by @CalMBBall/X
Comments