Grant Anticevich

The Bears couldn’t complete a second half rally as they fell to the Cougars in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament.

While this match may seem inconsequential, a win for Cal could change the fate of their season.

Jordan Shepherd exploded for 28 points as the Bears defeated the Cardinal in a packed Haas Pavilion on Saturday night.

It was a tale of two halves. Though Cal men's basketball cut the lead down to as little as one, it couldn’t finish the rally against Utah.

Now without star forward Andre Kelly for the rest of the season, the war-ridden and weathered Bears head to Gill Coliseum in Oregon to face the Beavers, desperate for a win to snap a 10-game losing streak.

Cal men's basketball dropped two more games in losses to the Bruins and Trojans, but for now, fans have a date with rival Stanford to look forward to.

Two hard-fought games proved that the talent gap was just too much to overcome as the Bears ended their homestand with two consecutive defeats.

Cal takes control of the second half, ending the game on a 21-2 run and improving to 9-5 on the season.

Despite a brilliant first-half performance, the Runnin’ Utes crossed the finish line first, defeating Cal in their second conference game.

“We’re in a good place and I think we’re getting better,” said graduate transfer guard Jordan Shepherd, who led Cal in scoring against Fresno State with 17 points. “Starting off the season was a little rough but we’ve picked up our defensive intensity, our physicality and our rebounding … we’re in a pretty good place.”