Cal Bears hold on to beat Wildcats, 74-73

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


The 12th-ranked Arizona Wildcats failed to score a point in the first four minutes of the second half...and the shooting drought proved costly.

The California Golden Bears held on in Berkeley tonight -- edging the Wildcats 74-73, thanks mainly to Jordan Mathews, who poured in a game-high 28 points. Mathews connected on 10 of 17 attempts, including six 3-pointers.

Gabe York led the Wildcats with 15 points and had a chance to win the game at the buzzer. York drove to the bucket and let loose with a bank shot, but the ball bounced off the rim and the California fans stormed the court as if the Golden Bears had just won the Pac-12 Conference title.

Arizona falls to 16-4 overall and drops to 4-3 in the conference standings.

The Wildcats did a lot of things right in the game. They shot 51 percent from the field, canned 15 of 17 free throws and converted 4 of 9 from long range, but the cold start in the second half put the Wildcats on their heels and allowed the Golden Bears to get the upper hand and pull off the upset.

Such is life on the road in the Pac-12 Conference.