By Morris Phillips

In a Pac-12 tournament without a single upset, or much drama in regards to who’s in or out of the upcoming NCAA tournament, Oregon State and Cal did their best to keep the assembled on the edge of their seats.

In a game filled with great plays and scintillating performances, the Bears pulled away late, winning 76-68 over OSU to gain a spot in the tournament semifinals against Utah.   Cal survived the test of an Oregon State team that was attempting to solidify a first NCAA tournament appearance in more than 20 years.

“We knew this time of year it’s anybody’s game and we had to be locked in. Our guys did a good job down the stretch to get a win,” Coach Cuonzo Martin said.

Ivan Rabb led Cal with a career-best 21 points, 15 rebounds including six of the Bears’ final 14 points that came after the game was tied with 4:28 remaining.   Rabb delivered the biggest blow on an offensive rebound, putback and the ensuing free throw that put Cal up 70-63 with 1:22 remaining.

Jordan Matthews provided his own highlight moment, racing off a screen and delivering a catch-and-shoot corner three that increased Cal’s lead to 73-65 with 33 seconds left.

Oregon State fought from behind from the start as Cal established a 17-5 lead less than seven minutes in. Cal led by four at the half, but relinquished the lead twice in the second half right before their final push. OSU freshman Derrick Bruce led the Beavers’ second half surge, and came up with a game-high 25 points despite having never scored more than 11 in a game previously.

Bruce’s big night offset the absence of Tres Tinkle, OSU’s second-leading scorer who missed both Pac-12 tournament games due to a foot injury.

“If we don’t have him show up, it could have been ugly,” OSU coach Wayne Tinkle, father of Tres, said of Bruce.

In the battle within the battle, Cal’s preferred method of attack, the dribble drive met resistance from OSU’s active hands defense led by Gary Payton II. While Rabb thrived inside on post ups and second chance opportunities, Cal’s drivers, Jaylen Brown and Tyrone Wallace were stopped, missing a combing 13 of 15 shots from the field. But time after time Cal responded to OSU’s runs with a big shot or a contribution from Rabb.

Cal didn’t shoot particularly well (43 percent for the game) or dominate the glass. They also missed 13 free throws that kept the Beavers within hailing distance, but their dynamic freshman, Rabb and Brown spearheaded Cal’s advantage in blocks and steals (six blocks, eight steals).

Jabari Bird contributed 20 points to Cal’s effort, and Mathews had 17. The pair of sharpshooters combined to make eight 3-pointers.

The higher-seeded teams advanced for the second straight day in Las Vegas, placing Oregon and Arizona in the tournament’s first semi on Friday at 6pm. The Bears and Utes will face off in the nightcap, expected to start at 8:30pm.

The Bears improved to 23-9 on the season and are projected to be a No. 5 or No. 6 seed in the NCAA tournament. OSU finishes their season 19-12 with five Top 50 wins including wins over each of the top three teams in the Pac-12 (Cal, Oregon and Utah). The Beavers are still hopeful of a bid but could be left out with several key upsets in other conference tournaments.