Field Level Media
Feb 11, 2021
BrBranden Carlson gave Utah the lead for good with a jumper with 7:12 to play and the Utes held off host California for a 76-75 Pacific-12 Conference victory Thursday afternoon in Berkeley, Calif.
Timmy Allen led four players in double figures with 18 points for Utah (9-7, 6-6 Pac-12), which relied on free throws and a little luck down the stretch to claim its third straight win.
Matt Bradley was the game's leading scorer with 20 points and Grant Anticevich put up 18 for Cal (7-15, 2-13), which lost its seventh straight.
The Golden Bears led 57-55 after a Bradley three-point play with 8:48 remaining before Utah got the better of the play down the stretch.
After a layup by Allen got the Utes even, Carlson hit his jumper to give Utah a lead it never relinquished.
The Golden Bears got within 61-60 with 5:22 to play on an Anticevich 3-pointer and were as close as 66-64 after a Makale Foreman layup with still 3:54 to play.
But Utah scored its final 10 points on free throws, four by Mikael Jantunen, and then held on after Allen missed a pair and committed a turnover to leave the door open for the Golden Bears.
Cal had a shot at a win and a tie in the final seconds, but down by two, Bradley missed a 3-pointer and Andre Kelly, fouled after grabbing an offensive rebound just before the final horn, connected on just one of two foul shots, leaving Cal one point short.
Ian Martinez finished with 16 points, Carlson 13 and Pelle Larsson 11 for Utah, which was playing its first of four straight on the road.
The Utes outscored the hosts 21-11 at the foul line, with Jantunen going 6-for-6 and Martinez 5-for-5.
Kelly totaled 17 points and Foreman 12 for Cal, which led for most of the game's first eight minutes but rarely thereafter.
Utah took a 42-32 advantage into halftime.
--Field Level Media