Brooks beats buzzer to lift No. 6 Oregon over Cal

[February 23, 2017]  BERKELEY, Calif. -- Dillon Brooks did it again.

On Nov. 22 in Maui, the Oregon star hit a 3-pointer with 22 seconds left in overtime to break a tie in what would become a 69-65 victory over Tennessee.

On Dec. 28 in Eugene, Ore., Brooks hit a 3-pointer with 0.8 of second left to give the Ducks an 89-87 win over UCLA.

On Wednesday at Haas Pavilion, Brooks cut it even closer, hitting a 3-pointer with 0.2 of second remaining to give No. 6 Oregon a 68-65 comeback win over California.

"Especially on the road, it felt so good, just to see all the fans just look down," said Brooks, who finished with 22 points and scored the Ducks' final five points.

Oregon (25-4, 14-2 Pac-12) overcame a horrible first half, in which it scored just 16 points, and a 16-point, second-half deficit to win.

"Very emotional, tough one for us," Cal coach Cuonzo Martin said.

The Bears (18-9, 9-6) missed a chance for a quality win that would have enhanced their chances for an NCAA tournament berth. Now they remain uncomfortable on the bubble with three games left.

Chris Boucher added 18 points for the Oregon, which remained one game behind first-place Arizona in the loss column in the Pac-12 race. Dylan Ennis had 13 points, and both he and Boucher hit important 3-point shots in the Ducks' comeback.

But the hero again was Brooks, who had put the Ducks ahead 64-63 with a bucket with 54.4 seconds left. After a free throw by Tyler Dorsey made it a two-point game, a goaltending call on a shot by Cal's Ivan Rabb with 9.7 seconds left tied the score 65-65.

Brooks then took control. He took the ball in the backcourt and did not look to anyone else before pulling up at the top of the key and draining the shot.

"He just made a play," said Oregon coach Dana Altman. "That's all there is to it."

That bucket marked the eighth straight possession on which the Ducks scored, helping them overcome a 10-point deficit with just 4:15 remaining.

"He made a big shot," Martin said. "He made a tough shot, but it's a shot he normally takes."

Jabari Bird led Cal with 20 points, and he was set to be the star until Brooks hit the game-winner.

"Those last two shots (Brooks) hit were tough, contested shots, and you can't be upset with that," Bird said. "It was just the lead up to that, with being up by 10 with three to go (actually 4:15 left) -- we can't squander that lead, and it really messed us up."

Oregon shot just 29.2 percent (7 of 24) from the field and missed all seven of its 3-point attempts in the first half, which ended with Cal holding a 30-16 lead.

Oregon Ducks forward Dillon Brooks (24) reacts after scoring the game winning basket against the California Golden Bears during the second half at Haas Pavilion. The Ducks won 68-65. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

"In the first half we were really stuck in the mud," Altman said.

The 16 points were Oregon's lowest total for a half this season and were the fewest by a Cal opponent this season.

Oregon missed its first seven shots and made just two of its first 15 field-goal attempts. That helped Cal launch a run of 12 straight points that turned a 5-5 tie into a 17-5 Cal advantage with 9:37 left in the half.

Brooks missed his first five shots and finished the half with five points, and the Bears stretched their lead to 16 points at 37-21 with 16:36 left in the game.

Then Oregon applied pressure defensively, helping the Ducks cut into the lead.

"Fortunately the press got the pace of the game changed," Altman said. "It took them out of their rhythm."

Martin didn't think the press was a major factor, but something affected the Bears, who had just two field goals in the final 7:54.

NOTES: ESPN's Joe Lunardi and USA Today both have Cal in the NCAA tournament field as a No. 10 seed in their latest projections posted this week. ... Oregon finishes the regular season with road games against Stanford on Saturday and against Oregon State on March 4. The Ducks lost all three road games to Cal, Stanford and Oregon State last season when they won the Pac-12 regular-season title. Cal beat the Ducks 83-63 in Berkeley last season when Oregon was ranked No. 11. ... Cal has three games left -- a home game against Oregon State on Friday and road games against Utah on March 2 and Colorado on March 4. ... Oregon beat Cal 86-63 on Jan. 19 in Eugene, Ore., in the teams' first meeting this season.

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