Mark Fox

The Bears were better defensively tonight, but they could never click on the offensive end — no performance has been complete so far this season.

What started as a promising defensive showing ultimately ended with a second half meltdown. Cal’s mere 28% from the field made it nearly impossible for a victory.

The final two days of the Emerald Coast Classic in Niceville, Florida were anything but nice to the Bears.

If the opponents that Cal has faced have been above its paygrade, the Trojans are on a different level entirely.

In the face of Cal’s intense pressure, Texas State responded with complete sangfroid. The Bobcats were resolute in earning their points the old-fashioned way — in the paint — and capitalized on Cal’s overeagerness to launch fast breaks by dominating the offensive boards.

Every passing game in which Cal suffers from sloppy turnovers, the lack of a secondary scorer beyond Askew and lapses in defensive concentration cement these issues as inherent to this year’s team.

The gulf in historical success between the two teams cannot be understated. Following Tuesday’s game, however, the Tritons have fully established recent superiority over the Bears.

Amassing a 12-6 conference record last season, Southern University has limited its opponents to a mere 19.6% perimeter field goal percentage, further sabotaging Cal’s chances of scoring from beyond the arc.

If the Bears expect to get payback this time around, their performance on Tuesday must be a departure from what they have displayed so far.

A Kansas State three-pointer followed by a technical on coach Fox at the 12-minute mark seemed to be the blue and gold’s breaking point.