MELBOURNE, Australia – In the second of a four-game exhibition tour in Australia, the California Golden Bears men's basketball team defeated a tough and resilient Frankston Blues team, 84-76, at Frankston Basketball Stadium to earn its second win in as many games.

In what proved to be an intense and very physical contest complete with 10 lead changes and six ties, the Bears got off to a slow start before strong defensive play enabled them to close a gap that at times grew to as many as 11 points. Defense proved to be the deciding factor in the fourth quarter, with the Bears holding the Blues to just 12 points while scoring 22 of their own.

Cal was strong on the boards with both Kingsley Okoroh and Ivan Rabb grabbing seven rebounds each while Jabari Bird nabbed six of his own and Tyrone Wallace captured five rebounds.

Offensively, the Bears found their groove and settled in as the game progressed, with four members reaching double-digit points. Jaylen Brown scored 19 points in just under 22 minutes of action Wallace added 18 points in just over 26 minutes. Bird (13 points in 23 minutes) and Rabb (12 points in 20 minutes) also factored in heavily in the team's offensive production.

“Out of the gate, we did not do a good job,” Cal coach Cuonzo Martin said. “I thought we played more as individuals than we did as a team at the start. We were down by 10 points a couple of times in the game but we put in a defensive lineup that got us over the hump. Guys really started to play hard and get after it. They really competed and I thought that was great. Stephen Domingo did an exceptional job really setting the tone defensively. That's where it started for us.

 “This was a physical opponent, a veteran opponent with older guys, but it was a great experience for our guys to be down by 10 points against a team like this and have to fight their way back and find a way to win the game."

Wallace echoed the remarks of his head coach, stating, “This was a tough game. We had to overcome some adversity at the beginning and throughout the game. They were able to get out to a 10-point lead but we were able to battle back. We got some key defensive stops and were able to create some good looks on offense. As the game went on, we found ways to come together and make the stops we needed to down the stretch.”

The Bears travel to Sydney next to take on the Australian Center of Excellence (formerly known as the Australian Institute of Sport), in a game that will tip off at midnight PDT on Wednesday.