Colorado deals Cal’s Pac-12 title hopes a major blow

Austin Dufault and Spencer Dinwiddie each scored 15 points, Andre Roberson grabbed 15 rebounds and the Colorado Buffaloes beat California 70-57 on Sunday in Boulder, Colo., dealing a blow to the Golden Bears’ Pac-12 basketball title aspirations.

California entered the day tied with the Washington Huskies for first place. The Huskies have two road games remaining – at USC and at UCLA – while Cal finishes the season at Stanford next Sunday.

The Buffaloes remain in the running to receive one of four automatic byes at the conference tournament. Even more, they kept their flickering hopes afloat for their first league crown since capturing the 1968-69 Big Eight title. Colorado has to win at Oregon and Oregon State, then receive major help.

Allen Crabbe had 16 points and Justin Cobbs 15 for the Bears, who had their six-game winning streak snapped. They haven’t won in Boulder since Dec. 16, 1974.

Oregon 74, Oregon State 73: Garrett Sim had a season-high 25 points to help the Ducks hold on for a victory over the Beavers in Corvallis.

DeVoe Joseph and Olo Ashaolu added 16 points apiece for the Ducks.

Ahmad Starks had 18 points and Angus Brandt 16 for the Beavers.

Oregon State came back from a 10-point deficit, cutting the margin to two on Devon Collier’s basket off a rebound with 41 seconds remaining. Ashaolu made 1 of 2 free throws with 9.9 seconds left, giving Oregon State one last possession with an opportunity to tie.

Challe Barton missed a 3-pointer, and the Beavers’ Jared Cunningham followed with a dunk for the game’s final score.

Sim, a senior guard, made 10 of 14 shots from the floor, including 4 of 7 from 3-point range.

Oregon shot 27 of 61 overall (44.3 percent), while Oregon State was 26 of 57 (45.6 percent).

Consecutive 3-pointers early in the second half by Brandt gave Oregon State a 46-42 lead. Oregon came right back, with a Sim 3-pointer capping an 8-0 run. Later, Joseph scored five straight in a 7-0 run for a 59-51 Ducks lead.

Oregon took its biggest lead of the game, 66-56, on a Joseph 3-pointer with 5:49 left.

A missed dunk by Oregon’s Carlos Emory was followed by a Starks 3-pointer with 2:02 left that capped an 8-0 Oregon State run that made it 71-68 Ducks.