Oregon State
California
Ricci Scores 23 Points In 73-58 Beavers' Loss.
February 07, 2002 | Men's Basketball
Feb 7, 2002
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) - Joe Shipp scored 12 of his 18 points in the second half as California beat Oregon State 73-58 on Thursday night.
Amit Tamir added 14 points and five assists, while Brian Wethers had 12 points for Cal (16-5, 7-4) in its first game without starter Dennis Gates.
Gates was hurt in practice Monday and is expected to miss two weeks with a wrist injury, but a balanced attack allowed the Bears to improve to 14-1 at Haas Pavilion this season.
Oregon State's Philip Ricci scored 23 points, while Joe See came off the bench to add 15 points for the Beavers (10-12, 3-9).
It was the fifth straight game and the 17th time in 21 games this season that Shipp has scored in double figures for the Bears.
Held to just six points in the first half, Shipp hit three straight shots midway through the second half, then helped seal the win by connecting on four free throws in the game's final three minutes.
Cal shot 63 percent in the first half, but never got into a scoring rhythm in the second half. That allowed Oregon State, which had shot just 35 percent in the first half, to close to within 54-51 with 7:33 left to play.
A.J. Diggs and Shantay Legans also combined for six free throws as Cal was 10-for-10 from the line down the stretch.
Oregon State, which lost to Cal 61-53 in January, didn't score on consecutive possessions in the first half Thursday until Joe See came off the bench to hit his first three 3-pointers, pulling the Beavers within five before the Bears used an 8-2 run to head into the half with a 36-25 lead.
Oregon State played without Brian Jackson, the Beavers' second-leading scorer. He sat out the game with a strained groin and strained abdomen.
