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Line of Truth
Free throws are supposed to be the easy part of the game, but it often does not turn out that way. Tonight, the line was the difference between winning and losing for two evenly matched Pac-12 rivals. In the second half, USC made only 3/8 from the stripe, while Cal made a pure 15/16. Kevin O'Neill had no patience for his team's lack of shot-making, which also included 41% from the field and 2/11 from three for the game. "If you're a college player, you've got to go to the foul line and make free throws. Plain and simple," said O'Neill. "Finishing around the rim and making free throws is something that if you don't do those two things, it's going to be hard to win. It's unfortunate, but it spells defeat." Double Dedmon
The development and activity of junior center Dewayne Dedmon continues to be a bright spot for a team searching for building blocks. In only 23 minutes, he filled up the stat sheet with 10 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks for his first double-double of the season. "He's been a great team player. He's trying to do the right things all the time and when you do those kind of things, you're going to have success." Dedmon is a naturally gifted rebounder and shot blocker, but he has grown into his offensive game through hard work. "I'm a lot more comfortable this year than I was last year on the offensive end," Dedmon said. "It's a matter of playing the game and I put in a lot of extra time over the summer."
Feeling Crabbe
Allen Crabbe loves returning to his native Los Angeles. The Price High School product poured in a game-high 27 points in front of a friendly Galen Center crowd. He led the Bears procession to the foul line making all eight attempts and 9/12 from the field. "Crabbe played a great game," said O'Neill about the Pac-12's leading scorer. "We thought if we could hold him to 12 or 13 shots, we'd win the game. I didn't think he'd make nine, but he did." Jio Fontan shut down Cal PG Justin Cobbs, but O'Neill bemoaned the lack of a stopper to put on Crabbe. "We don't have good wing defenders. We don't have a Marcus Simmons type guy."
(Photo by Gina Ferazzi/LA Times)
