The Sports Xchange
Dec 9, 2017
Don Coleman had 19 points and a career-high seven rebounds and freshman Juhwan Harris-Dyson made two free throws with 7.8 seconds left to send California to a 63-62 victory over San Diego State on Saturday at Viejas Arena in San Diego.
Cal (4-6) squandered a 14-point second-half lead and made only one field goal in the final 10:20 before recovering for its second victory in seven games.
Malik Pope had 20 points and eight rebounds and Matt Mitchell and Jeremy Hemsley had 13 points apiece for the Aztecs (7-3), who used an 18-3 run to take a 58-56 lead on Mitchell's 3-pointer with 4:26 remaining.
Cal's Grant Anticevich hit two free throws to the tie game at 58 with 3:19 remaining, ending the Bears' 6:09 scoring drought.
Mitchell's jumper made it 60-58 with 2:13 left, and the Aztecs hit two free throws before Coleman made a three-point play to bring the Bears within 62-61 with 42 seconds left. It was Cal's first basket since Coleman's layup with 10:20 remaining.
After a San Diego State turnover, Harris-Dyson hit his two free throws and the Aztecs' contested 26-foot, 3-point attempt at the buzzer by Hemsley did not draw iron.
Coleman tied a career high with five assists.
Freshman Justice Sueing had 12 points and freshman Darius McNeill had 10 for the Bears, who could not hold an 18-point second-half lead in a 92-82 loss to No. 6 Wichita State in the Maui Invitational.
All of San Diego State's losses have come to Pac-12 teams, the first two at Arizona State and to Washington State in the championship of the Wooden Legacy tournament in Fullerton, Calif.