Cal freshmen take charge in first game without Tyrone Wallace

There are bound to be more difficult days for Cal basketball during Tyrone Wallace’s absence, but the Bears didn’t seem to miss their leading scorer and playmaker Thursday night in their first outing without him against Arizona State.

Freshmen forwards Ivan Rabb and Jaylen Brown picked pun the slack for the fallen senior who is out 4-6 weeks after breaking a bone in his right hand in practice.

Cal shot 55 percent in the game and made free throws when it counted late to end a three-game losing streak with a 75-70 win that also snapped a five-game losing streak against the Sun Devils.

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Sure, there were moments as ASU rallied from 14 down when Wallace’s presence and experience could have made things easier on the Bears, but there wasn’t a moment in which they desperately missed him, which speaks to the improved talent and depth on the roster and the overall maturity of the team.

Sam Singer stepped into the point guard role for Wallace and produced eight assists, six points and six rebounds. Rabb had a career-high 20 points and also dished six assists with eight rebounds. Brown added 17 points and combined with Jabari Bird and Jordan Matthews to make six consecutive clutch free throws in the final minute. Cal had been struggling at the foul line in the three previous losses.

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It was an important win for the Bears because it came against the team now at the bottom of the Pac-12 standings. If Cal would have lost this one, the Bears might have lost a lot of confidence in the process and started questioning themselves and their potential without Wallace.

They have a tough stretch coming up that starts with a home game Saturday against No. 12 Arizona and then the tough road trip to the mountains to visit Utah and Colorado then back home to host Stanford and Oregon. By Valentine’s Day, the Bears could be desperate for Wallace to return and save the season, but if they play like they did Thursday, particularly in the first half, they might be welcoming back their senior leader to team well-positioned for a postseason run.

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[Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo