By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Porous defense, non-existent shooting, and inattention to detail… the Cal Bears were guilty across the board on Sunday afternoon.

Coach Mark Fox admitted his team missed the directive regarding an early shot at the end of the first half. That allowed Oregon State to cap a 13-0 run ending the first half with Jordan Pope’s jumper as time expired. And the defense as a whole?

“We have just failed to build a defense,” Fox admitted. “We are really struggling with our ability to keep the ball out of the lane.”

And the offense? Well, at one juncture of the second half, the Bears had more turnovers (11) than made baskets (6). In an unsightly first 20 minutes, the Bears started 3 of 17 and finished 4 of 23 after a scoreless stretch across their final, six possessions.

Add it all up, and Cal may have squandered its best remaining opportunity for a win this season. The visiting Beavers ended a six-game losing streak–and an 18-game road skid–with the easy, 68-48 win in Berkeley.

Early on, the gracious visitors did all they could to keep the Bears attached. With shooting as errant as the hosts, OSU trailed 15-14 with 4:30 remaining in the half. But that all changed in their closing run that picked up steam after the break. After Pope’s layup, Oregon State led 58-30 with 6:25 remaining.

Pope led three OSU starters in double-figures with 19 points. The Beavers’ shooting picked up dramatically with them finishing at 54 percent shooting from the floor, including 13 made threes.

The Bears wilted with 37 percent shooting and just three makes from distance.

Devin Askew returned to the Cal lineup after missing six games with a foot injury. But the team’s leading scorer might have been too aggressive with his shooting given his rust. He finished 2 of 12 from the floor for eight points. Kuany Kuany led Cal with 15.

The Bears next appear at Stanford on Saturday in a matchup of last place teams.