The most hyped game to date this season for the Runnin’ Utes came down to a desperation 3-point attempt by Tyler Kepkay. He missed, allowing Cal to exact revenge on last year’s last-second loss to Utah.
Jerome Randle scored 21 points, including the game-winning 3-pointer with 6.1 seconds left. Cal beat Utah 72-69 in a finish that was eerily similar to last year’s finish in Berkley, Calif., when Shaun Green hit a shot with fewer than two seconds left to give Utah a slim road victory.
“I don’t know if it’s luck, or karma8212;it just happens,” said Ute guard Carlon Brown.
Coming out of a time-out with the game tied at 69 apiece, Cal had 12 seconds on the shot clock to get an attempt off. Randle came off of a screen, a few feet beyond the 3-point line, was handed the ball and shot the game-winning 3-pointer over 6-foot-10-inch forward Kim Tillie. Utah inbounded the ball without a time-out, and Kepkay took the ball down the length of the floor and shot a 35-footer over three defenders that bounced high off the rim.
“We knew that guy was going to shoot that and he just made the shot over us,” said Ute head coach Jim Boylen of Randle’s shot. “We wanted to switch (the screen) with a bigger guy, someone who could slide his feet, like Kim, and you gotta give the kid credit. He made a shot.”
Ute guard Carlon Brown kept the Utes in the game until the end. He scored five of Utah’s last seven points, and dished an assist to Luke Nevill on the Utes’ final basket, a score that tied the game at 69-69. Brown finished with a season-high 15 points.
Utah’s starting guard, Luka Drca, missed the game because of an ankle injury. Freshman Jace Tavita stepped in to start for Drca and played 17 minutes, contributing in aspects other than scoring.
“Jace did what I hoped he would do,” Boylen said. “He didn’t shoot the ball, which is OK, he tried to play within himself, he tried to get other guys the ball. It’s fun to play a freshman.”
After falling behind 34-29 at the end of the first half, the Utes made a comeback. Kepkay came out of the locker room hot, scoring 12 points in the first 6:30 minutes of the second half. He finished the game with 17 points.
Although he injured his hip midway through the second half, Nevill played through the pain and scored a team-high 18 points, 10 of those coming in the second half. He made clutch free throws throughout the game, something the team as a whole didn’t do.
The Utes were 20-for-31 from the charity stripe, while the Bears went 17-for-26.
“We have to work so hard to get to the line that when we get there, we gotta make them,” Boylen said. “We didn’t do a good job of doing that tonight, and it’s painful to lose a game at the line.”
Four players finished with all but five points for the Bears. Randle led the Bears on 8-of-13 shooting.
“It’s not like he made easy shots,” Kepkay said. “The first half, there were a couple shots he made and I fouled the guy. The second half he made a couple layups over Luke and a 3-pointer over a 6-10 guy. He was on tonight.”
Going into the game, the Utes felt they had the advantage on the glass. Cal outrebounded the Utes 32 to 29, eight of those on the offensive end, allowing it to score 13 second-chance points.
Known for their shooting from 3-point range, it took them 10 minutes for the Bears to make one. In the final 30 minutes of the game they made six more 3-pointers on 10 attempts.
The Utes were 1-of-7 from 3-point range in the first half. They finished the game with five made 3s on 16 attempts.
Tyler CobbCal guard Jerome Randle sunk a 3-point shot over Utah?s Kim Tillie with 6.1 seconds left to give the Bears the lead. Cal defeated Utah 72-69.