A late second half comeback by Arkansas came up short Monday night, as the Razorbacks couldn’t overcome a large first half deficit in a 75-64 loss at California in the NIT second round at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, Calif.
Arkansas trailed by as many as 23 in the first half and 15 at halftime, but was able to cut the deficit to single digits, 63-55, with 4:01 to play before dropping its second game to the Golden Bears this season.
The Razorbacks finish with the program’s first 20-win season since 2007-08, going 22-12 in their third year under head coach Mike Anderson. Arkansas’ NIT appearance was its third in program history and the first postseason appearance since the aforementioned 2007-08 campaign.
Bobby Portis ended his freshman year with his second straight double-double, finishing with 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Rashad Madden led the way with 15 points while adding five rebounds, five assists and two steals. The final double figure scorer came off the bench as redshirt junior Alandise Harris went for 12 points and seven rebounds.
Cal shot 55 percent for the game. The Golden Bears limited Arkansas to just 32 percent (25-78) from the field, helping them overcome 16 turnovers compared to just five by the Razorbacks.
