Colorado holds off Cal to move on to quarterfinals

LAS VEGAS –– Cal brought an energy into today’s game from their showdown against the Stanford Cardinal. Grant Anticevich knocked down a three-pointer in the first minute of the game, followed quickly by a three from Jalen Celestine.

The 11th seed Cal Berkeley Golden Bears got off to a quick start against the 3rd seed Colorado Buffaloes as the Buffs failed to score in the first four minutes of the game.

Colorado answered Cal’s opening 7-0 run with a 6-0 run of their own to bring the game to a one point difference. Anticevich continued his confident shooting, collecting another three with well over 12 minutes remaining in the half.

Colorado took control of the lead with 3:39 still on the clock when Dallas Walton drained a three from the top of the arc.

As Colorado’s defense picked up its intensity, Colorado’s offense continued to miss open looks at the basket. Both programs struggled offensively, the Buffs shot a measly 29 percent and the Golden Bears shot a meager 33 percent.

After an extremely low scoring 20 minutes, the score going into halftime was 24-20 with the Buffaloes leading.

Evan Battey, Colorado junior forward, began looking much more like himself in the second half. Battey returned to his usual quick scoring, creating opportunities and making vital stops on defense about five minutes into the half.

“So, you take your wins anywhere you can get them. And we're not satisfied,” Battey said after the Buffs’ game.

The Buffs opened up their lead to 11 when the Bears went for over five minutes without getting a bucket in the middle of the half. In response, Cal stepped up to the challenge nailing free-throws and creating second chance opportunities through offensive rebounds.

McKinley Wright IV, Colorado senior guard, heated up toward the end of the game, gathering 10 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists.

At the end of the game, the Golden Bears were no match for the Buffaloes’ powerhouse of an offensive unit that more than doubled their score in the second half. The Colorado’s defense held Cal to 38 points in the second, propelling the team to a 61-58 win.

After walking away with the victory, Colorado will face USC in the semifinal game tomorrow night at 8:30 p.m.

“Our team is enjoying this moment,” Colorado Head Coach Tad Boyle said. “And I want them to do that because I think, what I don't want is I don't want us to play tight, I don't want us to play like, oh my God, you know, if we don't win this game, the world's coming to an end.”