BOULDER, Colo. (AP) -- California men's basketball pushed No. 24 Colorado to the wire, coming within four points in the final minute of the game, but the Buffaloes escaped with a 71-65 victory Thursday night at the CU Events Center.
Matt Bradley scored 17 points for the Bears, and
Andre Kelly emerged with a 4-for-5 second-half stretch to finish with 12 points.
Paris Austin scored 15 points for the Bears for his sixth double-figure effort in nine league games.
Tyler Bey scored a season-high 21 points, McKinley Wright IV had 17 and Colorado made key free throws down the stretch to beat Cal. D'Shawn Schwartz added 14 points.
Deadlocked at halftime, the game remained tight thoughout most of the second half. Austin's 3-pointer with 5:16 remaining pulled the Golden Bears to within two points. But Shane Gatling and Wright connected on 3-pointers around a layup by Bradley as Colorado opened a 58-52 lead with 3:00 remaining.
Austin broke loose after a steal for a breakaway layup. Colorado, though, came back to score on Schwartz's three-point play and Wright's layup to build a 63-54 lead with 1:07 left to play.
Cal cut the deficit to four points with 32.1 seconds remaining but Gatling, Battey and Eli Parquet combined to make six free throws in the waning seconds to help hold off the Bears.
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California: Rounds out its trip to the mountain schools at Utah on Saturday night.