Cal Basketball: Bears Give Away 18-Point First Half Lead in Defeat at Oregon

Jaylon Tyson scores 20 points for the sixth consecutive game, but the Ducks are too much.

Three days after rallying from 20 points down to upset Colorado, Cal had the script flipped in an 80-73 loss at Oregon on Saturday night.

The Bears dominated much of the first against the Pac-12’s hottest team, using a 27-9 run to lead 41-23 after a layup by Fardaws Aimaq with 3:59 left in the half.

But the 18-point advantage did not last. The Ducks closed to within 43-39 by halftime and the Bears could not hold them off over the final 20 minutes.

Cal (6-11, 2-4 Pac-12) came up short in its attempt to win a third straight Pac-12 game for the first time in five years.

Cal freshman Rodney Brown Jr. tries to get around an Oregon defender / Photo y CK Hicks, KLC fotos

Oregon (13-3, 5-0) turned the game in the final 4 minutes of the first half, sparked by four 3-pointers, including three by Jermaine Cousinard.

“They got going in a last little stretch there in the first half. They got loose and they made a barrage of 3-pointers that were controllable on our part,” coach Mark Madsen said. “A couple guys got loose and nailed 3’s and they got momentum.

“We had a nice double-digit lead in the first half and those lapses allowed them to cut it to four points. Oregon has guys who can make plays. The learning for us is we have to play 40 minutes of sustained defense. We had some great defensive moments but we had too many lapses.”

Senior guard Jaylon Tyson had 20 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Bears. It was the sixth straight game he’s reached at least 20 points — the longest such streak by a Cal player since Ed Gray did it in 11 consecutive games during the 1996-97 season.

Aimaq added 18 points and nine rebounds and Keonte Kennedy scored 11. Three-point specialist Jalen Cone was held to 1 for 8 from beyond the arc.

The Bears shot 55 percent in the first half, when Aimaq tallied 14 points and Tyson had 11. The two combined to shoot 11 for 16 in the half.

But Cal’s accuracy faded in the second half. The Bears made just 34 percent the rest of the way. Aimaq got extra defensive attention and was just 1 for 2 in the second half. Tyson was 3 for 11.

Cal shot just 1 for 12 from the 3-point arc in the second half after making 5 of 12 to open. “Basically, Oregon dared us to shoot,” Madsen conceded.

Cousinard scored 18 to lead the Ducks, who had four players in double figures and whose bench outscored the Cal reserves 39-11.

The Bears return to action Thursday at home against Washington.

Cover photo of Cal guard Jaylon Tyson by CK Hicks, KLC fotos

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