Cal guard Jabari Bird (right) dribbles while being defended by UCLA's Bryce Alford (AP photo)
Courtesy: Associated Press
BERKELEY, Calif. - Tony Parker scored a game-leading 20 points and added seven rebounds as UCLA lost at California, 64-62, before 10,853 at Haas Pavilion in a Pac-12 game on Saturday evening
California’s Dwight Tarwater nailed a 3-pointer with 18.9 seconds left to secure a 64-62 lead and the Golden Bears (15-9, 5-6) held on for their third consecutive win in the final moments.
Jabari Bird made two late, critical 3-pointers for California, finishing with 16 points to help the Golden Bears earn a regular-season series split with UCLA (14-10, 6-5).
"The last two and a half minutes, it was a 7-0 run by them," UCLA head coach Steve Alford said. "So, we just couldn't close the game out, and that's something that we have to work on."
Each team finished with four players scoring in double figures. For UCLA, Bryce Alford netted 15 points, whileNorman Powell totaled 13 and Kevon Looney registered his 12th double-double of the season with 10 points and a team-best 11 rebounds.
California’s Sam Singer added 13 points off the bench, connecting on 3 of 4 attempts from 3-point range. Jordan Mathews finished with 12 points, and Tyrone Wallace was four assists shy of a triple-double, totaling 10 points, 10 rebounds and a game-best six assists.
The host Golden Bears trailed UCLA by a 62-58 margin with 1:30 remaining before closing the contest with back-to-back 3-point baskets.
Bird made the first of his two late 3-pointers to close the gap to 61-58. After Looney missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw attempt with 37.3 seconds remaining, Tarwater nailed the eventual game-winning 3-pointer from the corner with 18.3 seconds to play.
After calling timeout, UCLA got the ball to Norman Powell, who missed on a 12-foot shot from near the baseline with nine seconds to play. Cal’s Kingsley Okoroh was fouled upon collecting the rebound and missed the front end of a one-on-one free throw attempt with 5.3 second to play.
Looney grabbed the rebound and UCLA raced the length of the floor with one last chance to tie the game or take the lead. Bryce Alford took the ball up the court and hit the back of the rim on a deep 3-point attempt at the buzzer.
Saturday’s game featured seven lead changes in the final 14 minutes.
Tarwater’s game-winning 3-point shot helped California earn its third consecutive victory in the game’s closing moments. Singer had made a 3-pointer with five seconds left in a 90-88 win against Washington on Jan. 29, and Wallace nailed a 3-pointer at the buzzer last Thursday to help the Golden Bears edge USC, 70-69.
UCLA twice trailed by as many as 10 points with under eight minutes remaining in the first half but reduced Cal’s deficit to 30-28 just before halftime. The Golden Bears converted on an offensive rebound at the buzzer to enter the locker room with a 32-28 cushion.
The Bruins opened the second half using a 12-2 scoring run over a 3-minute and 17-second span to secure a 40-34 cushion, the largest lead for either team in the second half.
With five of their final seven regular-season games to be played in Pauley Pavilion, UCLA returns home this week to host Oregon State on Wednesday (7 p.m. PT) and Oregon on Saturday (12 p.m. PT). The Bruins’ upcoming game versus Oregon State will be televised by Pac-12 Networks.
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