LAS VEGAS – The Utes trailed for most of the Pac-12 Tournament semi-final matchup against California, but Utah beat the buzzer to send the game into overtime—where they fought for a 82-78 win.
The No. 24 Bears were seeded third coming into Friday night’s matchup, but they led the second-seeded No. 12 Utah for much of the game.
But with 4.3 seconds left to play and 70-68 Cal on the scoreboard, Lorenzo Bonam got the inbound and took it all the way for a lay up as time expired to keep the Utes alive and heading to overtime.
Utah would hold on to secure the 82-78 win, and they will play No. 8 Oregon Saturday at 8 p.m. MT for the Pac-12 Tournament championship. Oregon is seeded No. 1 in the Pac-12 Tournament.
Jakob Poeltl was excellent for the Utes, scoring 29 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Bonam contributed 18 points, all of which came after halftime. Brandon Taylor and Jordan Loveridge were each good for 12 points, with Loveridge adding 10 rebounds to his stat column.
California was led by Tyrone Wallace with 26 points.
