Cal Basketball: Five More Reasons Bears Pulled Off Historic Comeback vs. Colorado

Jaylon Tyson's 30-point outburst had plenty of support from other Golden Bears.

There’s no way to overstate the impact senior guard Jaylon Tyson had on Cal’s comeback from 20 points down to beat Colorado 82-78 on Wednesday night at Haas Pavilion.

Before we move forward with five other reasons the Bears got it done, let’s dissect what Tyson did:

Jaylon Tyson dunks against the Buffaloes / Photo by Darren Yamashita, KLC fotos

— He scored a career-high 30 points, including 23 in the second half when he made all eight of his field-goal attempts and was 5-for-5 on free throws as the Bears fought back from a 14-point hole to complete their biggest comeback in 15 seasons.

— He scored in a variety of fashions: Four driving layups (including one that became a three-point play), two emphatic driving dunks, a 2-point mid-range jumper and three 3-pointers. He was 7 for 10 inside the arc and 7 for 7 from the foul line.

— He contributed five rebounds and two assists, including one of each during the sequence that gave Cal the lead for good. After Jalen Cone missed a 3-pointer with the score tied at 70-all and about 2 1/2 minutes to play, it was Tyson who corralled the offensive rebound. And it was Tyson who fed a wide-open Cone, who didn’t miss a second try from beyond the arc,

Coach Mark Madsen called Tyson one of the best players in the country.

And while that’s a subjective statement, this much is concrete: In five Pac-12 games, the 6-foot-5 guard is averaging 23.4 points per game, 7.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.4 steals while shooting 58 percent from the field, 44 percent from 3-point range and 83 percent from the foul line.

Here are five more reasons the Bears won their second straight Pac-12 game, improving to 6-10 overall, 2-3 in conference play:

Jalen Cone / Photo by Kelley L. Cox, KLC fotos

— Cone found his rhythm: When he’s on, Cone’s perimeter shooting changes everything for the Bears. But after making seven 3’s three times in the Bears’ first nine games, he was just 7 for 32 from deep the previous four outings and 1 for 6 in the first half against the Buffaloes. But the Northern Arizona transfer made 3 of 6 in the second half as the Bears wound up converting 14 of 30 from deep.

— Getting to the rim: The Bears were outscored 22-4 in the paint in first half and at one point were shooting 3 for 19 on 2-point attempts. But they went inside after halftime, scoring 14 points in the paint to balance their perimeter shooting.

— The bench delivers: The Bears’ reserves outscored their CU counterparts 16-2, including eight points (and four rebounds) from Grant Newell and seven points from freshman Rodney Brown Jr. But contributions from the bench went beyond scoring. The Bears were plus-12 during the 8 1/2 minutes that 6-10 Penn transfer Gus Larson was on the floor. Larson put up just one point but he effectively wrestled with 6-11, 265-pound Eddie Lampkin Jr., and he had a pair of blocked shots.

— Season-low turnovers: The Bears committed 19 turnovers in a game twice this year and averaged 13 through their first four Pac-12 games. The five giveaways they had vs. Colorado (just 2 in the second half) were the fewest they’ve totaled in nearly two years.

— Efficient and prolific: While the defense tightened in the second half, the offense flowed. The Bears’ 56 second-half points were more than Cal managed in 14 full games a year ago. The Bears scored at an efficient pace of 1.75 points per possession in the second half.

Cover photo of Mark Madsen celebrating with Cal fans by Darren Yamashita, USA Today

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo