By Morris Phillips

If you’re trying to figure out where the Cal Bears are ultimately headed in 2014, you didn’t get many clues on Wednesday night.

The Pac-12 co-leaders that had appeared locked in over the last three weeks just looked distracted in losing to last place USC, 77-69.  The Trojans had lost all five conference games before leading the Bears at the Galen Center from start to finish.

“We stunk,” Coach Mike Montgomery admitted. “For whatever reason, we can focus all the time.  We can’t mentally focus on what it takes in this league.”

USC did most of their damage inside the paint where freshman forward Nikola Jovanovic scored a career-best 23 points and 7’2” Omar Oraby contributed nine points and seven rebounds.  The Trojans’ inside duo combined to shoot 12 of 15 as USC enjoyed a 44-26 edge in points in the paint.  USC also controlled the glass with a 37-33 advantage, and stopped David Kravish and Richard Solomon, who came in averaging a combined 33 points, but managed only 19 against USC.

“I hope that wasn’t reflective of how good a team we are because that wasn’t very good tonight,” Montgomery said.

The loss took the anticipation away from Cal’s meeting with UCLA on Sunday, a game that had the Cal win streak continued, could have vaulted the team into the Top 25 nationally.  While the Bears remain one of only two teams with less than two losses in Pac-12 play, their fifth loss overall drops them behind four-loss UCLA, Colorado, Utah and Oregon in the pecking order for NCAA tournament consideration.

The Trojans shot 56 percent in the first half and led by nine at the break.  But Cal couldn’t get any closer than seven—on two occasions—in the second half.  The Bears’ bench that had been so effective in the win streak wasn’t on Wednesday.  The six Bears that saw action off the bench played a combined 31 minutes but scored just five points.

Justin Cobbs led Cal with 22 points and Jordan Mathews added 18 points, but missed nine of his 14 shots from the field.  Freshman Jabari Bird continued to work his way back into shape following an ankle injury that cost him several games.  Bird was 0 for 3 and went scoreless in 11 minutes of action.