Cal let a 16-point, second-half lead slip away in a 71-69 loss to Arizona State on Sunday night at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley.
The Bears led 43-27 with 16:11 remaining in the second half, but that was not enough as the Sun Devils (8-5, 2-0 Pac-12) dominated the rest of the game.
Frankie Collins led ASU with 25 points, and his free throw with 4.5 seconds remaining set the final score.
Jaylon Tyson led Cal with 20 points, nine rebounds, five assists and six steals, but his long three-point shot at the buzzer missed.
Cal (4-9, 0-2 Pac-12) seemed to have control of the game when it led by 14 points with 8:59 left, but the Sun Devils scored nine points in a span of 17 seconds aided by two ASU steals off fullcourt pressure.
That cut the Bears' lead to 56-51 with 7:47 remaining, and the Sun Devils tied the game 62-62 with 3:49 to go. Frankie Collins gave ASU its first lead since early in the first half on a driving layup with 3:12 left on the clock, putting ASU ahead 64-62.
The teams traded the lead until Alonzo Gaffney grabbed an airball and stuffed it through for a basket that gave the Sun Devils a 68-67 lead with 43 seconds left.
Cal then committed a turnover on its ensuing possession, and Collins added a layup with 7.9 seconds remaining to make it a three-point game. Jalen Cone hit two free throws with 6.1 seconds to make it one-point game before Collins hit one of two foul shots.
Six of the Bears’ nine losses have been by three points or fewer or have come in overtime.
Cal led throughout the first half and led by as many as 12 points midway through the opening half before settling for a 35-25 halftime lead.
The Sun Devils shot just 31.0% in the first 20 minutes, and Cal was not much better at 38.2%. Cal achieved the 10-point halftime lead despite going 2-for-14 on three-point shots.
Tyson led the Bears with 10 first-half points even though he was 0-for-4 from long range, while Frankie Collins had eight points before halftime for ASU.
Fardaws Aimaq had 10 rebounds in the first half for the Golden Bears, who outrebounded ASU 27-15 over the first 20 minutes.
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