California Sports Journal

Controlling the ball outside the three-point arc, the junior guard put up a desperation jumper as a Cougar defender slammed into him, drawing a foul and three key free throws.

Midgely converted two, and with renewed momentum the Bears rumbled on to a 63-57 win that earned them a ticket to the Pac-10 conference tourney when UCLA defeated Oregon later in the evening.

Like the Bears’ season (13-15, 6-12 in the Pac-10), the game wasn’t pretty. Not like Midgley’s last second 3-pointer to advance his team to the 2nd round of the NCAA tournament two years ago.

But it was just enough to earn the Bears’ the eighth and final spot in the tournament at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, where they will play conference champ Arizona in the first round.

Cal coach Ben Braun was happy with the way his team competed after losing six straight coming into the game.

“I believe our team had lost some of that collective will,” Braun said after the game. “This was an effort game. This was a collective effort. Maybe a couple guys didn’t play well, but it wasn’t lack of effort or playing with a good attitude.”

Washington State didn’t make anything easy for the Bears. The Cougars’ led most of the way, behind a stellar performance by senior guard Thomas Kelati.

While the rest of his teammates sputtered on offense, Kelati went off for 29 points on 9-15 shooting, more than half of his team’s total,. Kelati, a tough match up for most guards because of his height at 6’5”, went 7-11 from 3-point range and added eight rebounds.

It appeared the momentum in the game might have shifted when Kelati drained a three-pointer with seven seconds left in regulation to even the game 50-50.

“I said no matter what happens, Kelati’s going to hit some shots,” Braun said. “He hit a 3-pointer and this place was about as quiet as I’ve ever heard it. Well our guys weren’t quiet. They said lets go out and win this thing."

And that’s just what the Bears did in the overtime period.

California held Washington State scoreless for the final 2:13 on overtime, pulling ahead on a basket by sophomore forward Marquise Kately, who notched four points in the extra period. Midgely and junior forward Rod Benson also scored 4 points apiece in overtime.

The Bears exploited the Cougars’ lack of size, throwing the ball repeatedly into the post. Kately finished the game with 17 points on 8-10 shooting and Benson added 15 points. The Bears’ out rebounded the Cougars 39-31, with sophomore forward Dominic McGuire pulling down 11 boards.

Both teams shot poorly in the first half. The Cougars managed to convert only 29% of their field goals, and the Bears didn’t do much better at 36%. The second half was a different story for Cal though when they started relying on their big men and shot 56% for the half.

The game wouldn’t have been as close were it not for Cal's struggles at the free throw line, where they went 18 for 32. The Cougars meantime were almost perfect from the stripe, converting 12 of 13.

Washington State coach Dick Bennett was frustrated by his team’s reliance on Kelati for its offense.

“Thomas has just had a superb year, with really not a whole lot of help,” Bennett said.