California's Max Zhang shoots as Oregon's Jamil Wilson defends in the second half Saturday in Eugene, Ore.
Photo: Rick Bowmer / AP
Vittorio Tafur, Chronicle Staff Writer
Sunday, February 21, 2010
(02-21) 04:00 PST Eugene, Ore. --
Bouncing back after a loss can be hard, but it's something Cal is very good at - the Bears are now 7-2 after Saturday's 64-49 win over Oregon.
Bothered by tendinitis in his knee, Cal's Patrick Christopher had, by his own admission, "a rough game." "But we won, so I don't care," he added, smiling.
Christopher was 3-for-14 but made three plays that proved pivotal in the win at Mac Court. The senior made two drives to start the game-deciding 9-0 run that opened the second half, and then later passed the ball to 7-foot-3 center Max Zhang as soon as he entered the game.
Zhang had only played seven minutes in the past five games, and when he entered the game with Cal up 46-41 with 10:32 left, there was a buzz among the 8,099 fans on hand. Coach Mike Montgomery brought Zhang in for defense but Christopher fed him immediately and he was fouled. Zhang - easy to spot behind Oregon's zone defense - would score eight points with an assist and a block in five minutes, helping the Bears pad their lead by five.
"It's always funny to hear the crowd react when he walks over to the scorer's table to come in," Christopher said. "He gave them what they wanted. He gave them a show."
Jerome Randle and Theo Robertson each scored 16 points as Cal (18-9, 10-5) extended its lead in the Pac-10 to one game over Arizona State. Randle moved past Lamond Murray (1992-94) for second all-time on the school's scoring list, with 1,702 points.
The Bears were much better defensively than they were in their loss at Oregon State on Thursday, but then again the last-place Ducks (12-14, 4-10) are really struggling. Oregon, which lost its fifth straight game, had one assist for the entire game against 13 turnovers. It shot just 1-for-11 (34.1 percent) from three-point range, and didn't make a field goal in the final 10:33.
Cal somehow was up by one, 24-23, at halftime despite shooting 25.8 percent (Christopher was 1-for-9 and Jamal Boykin was 1-for-6) with nine turnovers.
"If we hadn't played good defense," Montgomery said. "We might have been out of it in the first half."
Christopher got the Bears started in the second half when he decided to "get to the rim." He drove, was fouled and hit two free throws, and then attacked again, pulling up and swishing a tough jumper in traffic. Randle hit a three, Robertson had a fast-break layup and the 9-0 run put Cal up 33-23 two minutes in.
The Bears made nine of their first 12 shots in the half, and the closest the Ducks got was 46-41. That's when Montgomery brought in Zhang to stop Oregon forward Jeremy Jacob (14 points).
"The offense was a surprise," Montgomery said.
Zhang hit three of four free throws, then scored a three-point play and capped off his day with a dunk, leaving with Cal up 57-47 with 5:42 left.
"It is a great feeling to help the team win," Zhang said. "I am glad I stayed ready to play. Getting fouled and making the first free throw helped me get in the flow of the game."
Oregon's Jeremy Jacob and teammate Matthew Humphrey defend against California's Max Zhang in the second half Saturday in Eugene, Ore.
Photo: Rick Bowmer / AP
Briefly: Cal got a big break when 6-10 Oregon center Michael Dunigan didn't play because of a sore hip. ... Randle needs 75 points to pass Sean Lampley (1998-2001) for the Cal career scoring record. ... Darrall Imhoff, who led the Bears to the 1959 NCAA championship, was an honorary team captain for the game to help the Ducks celebrate the final season at their 83-year-old basketball home.
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