SHANGHAI, China – A 7,000-mile trip across the globe brought unforgettable cultural experiences and chances to learn for the Cal men's basketball team but the Bears' first action on the hardwood in the 2018-19 season offered lessons to draw from moving forward as they dropped a 76-59 decision to Yale in the annual Pac-12 China Game at the Baoshan Sports Center in Shanghai.

A journey that yielded much more than an opportunity to open the new basketball season culminated with the first chance for a young Cal team to test itself against Division I competition. Before the Bears even stepped on the court, they experienced firsthand the ways in which the country of China has embraced the game of basketball and got the opportunity to tour culturally significant destinations like the Temple of Soul's Retreat and Jade Buddha Temple. 

But, with the trip also marking the start of a new season for both teams, both Cal and Yale struggled to find an offensive rhythm early in their first game of the year. Freshman Matt Bradley provided one of the game's first highlights in his first collegiate contest, grabbing a steal at the top of the key and racing the other way for a crowd pleasing dunk with just over six minutes elapsed.

The Bears turned more good defense into their first lead of the game as a steal by Darius McNeill led to a stepback jumper by Paris Austin and Cal took a 9-8 edge with 10:22 left in the half.

Yale took off from there. The Bulldogs launched a 20-2 run to build a 28-11 lead as Cal tried to weather a spate of cold shooting to stay in contact. Bradley's efforts on the offensive end helped the cause as a six-point personal run by the freshman narrowed the gap to 28-17 near the end of the half.

Eventually, Cal headed to the locker room down 33-21 and the stat sheet told the tale of a first half in which the Bears fought hard defensively but couldn't get rolling offensively. Though Cal forced 12 Yale turnovers and drew 14 fouls, the Bears went 5 for 25 from the floor and went just 10 of 17 from the free throw line.

A renewed spirit to start the second half gave Cal a spark but didn't lead to inroads on the scoreboard. The Bears trailed 52-33 at the under-12 media time out and Yale maintained a 60-42 margin at the under-8. Cal showed improvement offensively in the second half, shooting 50 percent from the floor over the final 20 minutes and finishing at 35.3 percent for the game.   

Austin led the way in the scoring column in his first game as a Golden Bear as the junior finished with 18 points. Bradley added 13 points while fellow freshman Andre Kelly grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds to go with seven points in his first collegiate contest.

"For me, besides the game obviously, we've had an unbelievable time on the trip," Cal head coach Wyking Jones said. "I hope that this trip has brought us closer together as a program, as a family (with) the times that we've had to bond throughout the trip. It didn't end the way we wanted it to end but it's definitely an experience we'll all take with us for the rest of our lives."

Action shifts back to the United States on Tuesday as Cal hosts Hampton at 7 p.m. at Haas Pavilion as part of the Legends Classic. Detroit Mercy pays a visit for a 7 p.m. game on Thursday and the Bears head back out on the road the following week as the Legends Classic takes them to Brooklyn, N.Y. for games against St. John's and either VCU or Temple.