In a late-night showdown at California, NC State men’s basketball suffered a 74-62 loss in the first leg of its West Coast road trip.

Each and every game, the Wolfpack (9-13, 2-9 ACC) goes through a similar sequence and it was no different in California. The Wolfpack played a close half against the Golden Bears (12-11, 5-7 ACC), only to fall apart down the stretch in the second, struggling to rebound and create open looks on offense. The loss marks NC State’s seventh consecutive defeat — the longest losing streak in head coach Kevin Keatts’ eight-year tenure in Raleigh.

As usual, the Wolfpack was crushed on the glass, a prominent reason the team has struggled the last month. Outrebounded 44-32, the Pack certainly looked less physical and less aggressive than the Golden Bears. Senior forward Ben Middlebrooks, who started at center, failed to secure a single rebound, while senior forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield was unavailable. With a mess in its frontcourt, NC State found itself in danger against Cal and could not compensate in other areas.

The Pack’s other major struggle this season — shooting — also reared its ugly head against the Golden Bears as it hit just 3-13 shots from deep. Senior guard Jayden Taylor fired up five triples but only hit one — the only 3 by a starter. The Pack got a surprise when junior forward Ismael Diouf buried his first 3 of the season, but otherwise, there was little production behind the arc from the bench. Meanwhile, Cal hit nine 3s, putting the Golden Bears in the driver’s seat.

Defensively, NC State posted a decent performance but failed to contain Cal’s Jovan Blacksher Jr. The Cal guard racked up 18 points, including four triples. Whether NC State was playing man or zone, Blacksher was Cal’s answer. If the Pack wants to win in the ACC it’ll have to do a better job guarding the perimeter where Blacksher torched the red-and-white.

While the Wolfpack mostly stumbled through the game, senior guard Marcus Hill did his best to keep hope alive. The Bowling Green transfer scored a team-high 20 points — 11 more than anyone else on the Pack. Constantly slashing his way into the paint, Hill scored countless buckets to keep the Pack in striking distance. Hill also added eight boards, outrebounding Middlebrooks and Diouf combined. While Hill’s effort was admirable, it ultimately was never going to be enough without the help of his teammates.

Now amid its worst losing streak in years, NC State’s downward spiral looks bleak. After dropping another winnable game, the Pack is entering a difficult stretch of its schedule that features games against NCAA Tournament hopefuls in Stanford, Louisville and UNC-Chapel Hill. The road to breaking the Pack’s seven-game losing streak is now even harder following the loss.

Next up, NC State will continue its West Coast road trip with a Saturday night game at Stanford. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be televised on ACC Network.