BERKELEY, Calif. — Through all of the missed opportunities and disappointments, Oregon had yet to lose three straight games this season.
That became reality Thursday night.
California needed overtime to outlast the Ducks, 85-81, in front of 11,347 at Haas Pavilion. The loss is Oregon’s third in a row and fourth straight in Berkeley.
“We fought hard to come back, and (we) washed it away in overtime,” Oregon guard Aaron Brooks said.
The Golden Bears outscored Oregon, 9-5, in the extra frame. They grabbed the momentum Oregon ended the second half with and held the Ducks to a three-pointer and two Luke Jackson free throws.
Of course, the overtime session wouldn’t have been necessary if the Ducks played a little defense. At least that’s what they thought.
“It’s defense,” Oregon head coach Ernie Kent said. “The whole tone of the season comes down to us being able to defend people.”
Much like it has been for most of the season for the Ducks, it was a tale of two halves. In the first, Oregon allowed California to score 44 points on the strength of 55.9 percent shooting.
The Golden Bears (12-12 overall, 8-7 Pacific-10 Conference) knocked down three three-pointers and were led by Richard Midgley’s 13 points.
The second half was a tad bit better for Oregon (12-10, 7-8). The Ducks held the Golden Bears to 32 points, allowing Oregon to pull even at 74 with 1:22 left to play. That came after the Ducks had made one field goal during a 10-minute span midway through the half that allowed California to jump ahead by eight points.
“If we had that sense of urgency in the first half, we wouldn’t have been in that hole,” Kent said.
If nothing else, the game was symbolic of Oregon’s season. A few missed shots here, a few more there. A missed opportunity here, yet another there.
As the game wound down in regulation, the Ducks connected on their shots. They defended, they grabbed rebounds. They just couldn’t connect on that last drive down the floor, an opportunity to put the game away with seconds remaining,
After California’s Marquise Kately nailed a jumper with 16.7 seconds remaining, Brooks brought the ball up the floor on an isolation play.
Brooks, who scored a career-high 16 points and netted four three-pointers in the second half, couldn’t make anything happen.
He attempted to drive through the lane, but was blocked by California defenders. The ball was tapped away and fell helplessly to the ground.
“I pump faked and he kind of slapped me,” Brooks said, not completely sure if California’s Ayinde Ubaka was the player who made contact. “It’s the end of the game and the refs won’t call that. I wish I would have done something else, obviously.”
Jackson appeared to be open on the play, as did forward Ian Crosswhite. It was, as Oregon’s season has gone, a missed opportunity.
“We put the ball into Aaron’s hands because he had bothered them with his quickness,” Kent said.
Oregon’s offense on the night was solid. The Ducks shot 42.9 percent from the field and connected on 11 three-pointers.
There were, however, two stretches where Oregon went cold and kept California in control.
At the 13:43 mark in the second half, Oregon scored from the field — a Brooks’ three-pointer — but didn’t score again for a little more than 10 minutes.
“Shots weren’t falling,” Oregon guard Andre Joseph said. “Sometimes they just don’t go in.”
The loss leaves the Ducks reeling, having lost three straight and facing undefeated Stanford at Maples Pavilion on Saturday in Palo Alto.
Oregon has not won at Maples since 1986.
“We’ve got to get at least (one) win on this trip,” Joseph said.