PULLMAN, Wash. – The California men's basketball team could not slow down a hot-handed Washington State squad in an 84-65 loss at Beasley Coliseum on Thursday night. The defeat resulted in season split between the two teams, with both winning on their home courts.
 
The Cougars (19-6, 10-4 Pac-12) won their sixth straight game since Cal defeated them 81-75 in overtime on Jan. 20 in Berkeley, and their ninth of 10. Cal (10-14, 6-8) dropped its second in a row. Jaylon Tyson scored a team-high 18 points while Rodney Brown Jr. and Grant Newell added 12 and 11, respectively. Fardaws Aimaq corralled 11 rebounds, but scored just six points in a 1-for-7 shooting effort.
 
Washington State shot 55% from the floor and was fueled by 25 points by Myles Rice and 21 from Isaac Jones. The Cougars outscored Cal 40-24 in the paint and out-rebounded the Bears by 11, 39-28.

"We did not do a good job in the first half of taking care of the basketball," Cal head coach Mark Madsen said. "We had seven turnovers in the first half (and) they converted 10 points off that. Give Washington State credit; they rose up and made a lot of tough shots."

A 3-pointer by Jalen Celestine with 2:48 to go in the first half cut the Cougars' lead to five, 27-22, but Rice and Jones combined for nine of the final 11 points before halftime to take a 36-24 advantage into the locker room. Cal pulled within 10 points three times in the second half, but could not get within single digits.
 
Cal meets Washington at 5 p.m. PST on Saturday in Seattle. The Pac-12 Network will televise the contest from Alaska Airlines Arena.
 
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