California Golden Bears Narrowly Miss Victory at Haas Pavilion Against Eastern Washington Eagles
In a closely contested game at Haas Pavilion, the California Golden Bears fell just short against the Eastern Washington Eagles with a final score of 50-48. The Golden Bears' season record now stands at an even 0-0, while the Eagles also maintain a neutral 0-0 record.
The home crowd of 1,297 witnessed a defensive battle where both teams ended up with identical total rebounds at 32. The California Golden Bears put up an impressive fight in the paint scoring 28 points to match their second-half output. Despite this effort, they were unable to overcome the Eagles' early lead established with their first-half performance of 27 points.
The Golden Bears showcased balanced team play with ten assists contributing to their overall score of 48 points. They also matched the Eagles in steals, each team snagging nine possessions from their opponents. However, turnovers proved costly for the home side as they gave up possession seventeen times compared to thirteen by the visitors.
Shooting accuracy was nearly identical between both squads; California hit just over half of their two-point attempts (52 percent) and finished shooting close to thirty-nine percent from field goal range. However, three-point shots did not fall as hoped for California; they made only two out of fifteen attempts which translated into an underwhelming thirteen percent success rate from beyond the arc.
Free throws were another area where California could have capitalized more effectively; although shooting better than Eastern Washington's fifty-six percent free throw completion rate by making sixty-seven percent of theirs, those missed opportunities might have swung the game in favor of California had they been converted.
Defensively both teams managed one block and one blocked attempt each but it was in fast break situations where California showed greater efficiency scoring eight fast break points against Eastern Washington's two.
Looking ahead after this narrow defeat, fans can anticipate seeing how The California Golden Bears will regroup as they host Butler Bulldogs at Haas Pavilion on December 10th at 2:00 PM local time. This upcoming matchup can be watched live on Pac-12 Network for those eager to see how The Golden Bears will perform on their home court following this tough loss.