BERKELEY, Calif. — It hasn’t been the type of season David Kravish was expecting, neither from himself nor his California teammates.
The Golden Bears forward made up for it with one of his best games of the year in his final appearance at Haas Pavilion.
One of three seniors on first-year coach Cuonzo Martin’s team, Kravish scored 13 points to go with a season-high 13 rebounds and three blocked shots to lead Cal to a 73-56 win over Oregon State on Sunday afternoon.
The fifth-leading shot blocker in conference history, Kravish scored all but two of his points over the final nine minutes.
“That was great, especially the way we played,” Kravish said. “We played really well defensively and got stops when we needed to. We did a good job in that second half of not relinquishing control of the game.”
Jordan Mathews scored 17 points, Jabari Bird had 14 and California used a big run in the second half to pull away.
Tyrone Wallace added 12 points and seven assists for the Golden Bears. California (17-12, 7-9 Pac-12) snapped a three-game losing streak in its final home game of the season by beating a team with a winning record for just the third time since Jan. 2.
“They had a flow going and we were stagnant offensively,” Martin said. “We didn’t have a presence around the rim. We adjusted a couple of things. We made plays and we made shots.”
The Bears trailed 44-36 with 13 minutes remaining when they put together one of their best runs of the year. Cal scored 18 consecutive points and outscored the Beavers 24-2 over a six-minute span to take the lead for good. Mathews made a pair of 3-pointers during the run then capped it with two free throws that put the Bears up 60-46.
Malcolm Duvivier had 18 points and eight rebounds for Oregon State (17-12, 8-9).
With two games left before the Pac-12 Tournament, the Bears still have a slim shot of getting a first-round bye but will need plenty of help.
Oregon State could have strengthened its hopes of getting a pass in the first round of the conference tournament by beating Cal. Instead, coach Wayne Tinkle’s team lost for the fifth time in six games.
The Beavers were in position to do that until the Bears went on their big run.
“We were really attacking the lane,” Kravish said. “That put some pressure on them. They had to come out of the zone. That kind of hurt them a little bit because we’ve got a lot of guys who can really get to the basket.”
Cal used its perimeter shooting to loosen up Oregon State’s zone defense in the first half. The Bears made four 3-pointers, including three straight to begin the game, and took a 21-13 lead on Sam Singer’s layup.
The Beavers also used their long-distance shooting to stay close then took a 29-24 lead following Duvivier’s three-point play and a 3-pointer by Tanner Sanders.
Cal closed the half on an 8-2 run and led 32-31 at the half.
TIP-INS
Oregon State: The Beavers first four points came on two emphatic dunks by Gary Payton II. He finished with 12 points. Payton had a steal in his 29th consecutive game, tying his father for the second-longest streak in school history.
California: The Bears have won five straight against the Beavers. They haven’t lost to Oregon State since Jan. 5, 2012.
UP NEXT
Oregon State: Hosts Oregon on Wednesday.
California: At Arizona on Thursday.
