Poor offensive execution, questionable calls by the officiating crew and an incredible shooting night for Mizzou doomed the California Golden Bears in the CBE Classic on Tuesday night. With a large pro-Mizzou crowd in attendance, the Bears were dominated for most of the game and fell by a final score of 92-53.
Turnovers doomed the team from the beginning and they ended with 19 on the night. The Bears were finding and taking good shots, but they just wouldn't fall. Cal shot 17-for-56 from the field, which is good for a mere 30.2%, and only converted two of nine shots from behind the arc. Jorge Gutierrez, who fouled out with 11 minutes remaining in the contest, led his team with 11 points. Justin Cobbs added 10 of his own off the bench, while Richard Solomon scored eight.
The Tigers set the nets on fire in Kansas City and shot nearly 58% from the field. Mizzou hit ten 3's, made 22 free throws, and had six players reach double digits. Kim English led the way with 19 points, with Marcus Denmon adding 18 of his own.
Coach Montgomery and his staff will take this loss and use it as a great motivating tool in the coming days. This is still a very promising team in Berkeley and they have the talent to make a deep run in conference play.
For more on the Bears, check out California Golden Blogs.