By Morris Phillips

After a big second half comeback Sunday afternoon in Reno, and for the first time since Ben Braun’s final season in 2007, the Cal Bears have opened the season with seven wins in their first eight games.

A sign of big things to come?  Maybe not.  Braun’s Bears lost 15 of their final 25 games in 2007-08 and bowed out quietly in the second round of the NIT.  Braun was let go, star freshman Ryan Anderson decided to turn pro, and Jerome Randle did some serious, but effective, soul searching in order to rebound from a sophomore season in which he shot just 42 percent from the field.

Instead of a predictor of future success, Cal’s 7-1 record may instead be the residue of a carefully, choreographed early schedule that has seen the Bears face a series of mild challenges, all of which with the exception of Texas, have gone their way.

The Wolf Pack have had consistent successes in recent years under coach David Carter, the St. Mary’s (CA) alum, but have fallen on rough times this season without an obvious go-to offensive performer.  So while the Bears struggled through a first half shooting just 25 percent from the field, Nevada never moved beyond shouting distance.

After halftime, Nevada’s offense collapsed and Cal’s Tyrone Wallace took over.

Wallace tallied 26 of his career-best 29 points in the second half and the Bears rallied for a 63-58 win at the Lawlor Events Center.  If Cal’s early schedule hasn’t significantly cleared their murky season outlook which envisions them as a middle-of-the-road Pac-12 team, it has helped them identify an offensive focal point in the emerging Wallace, who did a little of everything on Sunday.

“He made some big threes, got the free throw line, penetrated, made timely passes,” Coach Cuonzo Martin said.  “I thought he played well offensively, got some big rebounds and our team fed off his energy and his ability to pass and make plays.”

“I knew my team needed me to take it to the next level, so I tried to go out there and defend and score,” Wallace said.

The junior from Bakersfield had a stocking-stuffer statistically with eight rebounds, four assists, two steals and a blocked shot.  Meanwhile, the Wolf Pack didn’t have anyone like Wallace, and they suffered because of it.  Nevada, missed 27 of 34 shots from the field after halftime, and did so in a decidedly Cal-friendly manner.  The Wolf Pack missed their first eight shots of the half while Cal surged, and then clanked their final six shots allowing the Bears to hold on.

Cal was also led by senior David Kravish, who contributed 11 points and six rebounds while Jordan Mathews had a tough afternoon, missing seven of his eight shots in a five-point performance.

Nevada center A.J. West was the only member of his team to finish in double figures with 13 points and six rebounds.

No California basketball coach has started his career as successfully as Martin has since Ben Cherington opened 7-0 in 1916.  The lofty start had the new coach saying complimentary things about his players.

“They do a tremendous job of representing California,” Martin said.  “They want to win games, and for us those are great things to go through.  Of course, you’d like to win games by 20 points, but to go through tough things and find a way to win games together, it only helps you grow.”

The Bears next take on a third Mountain West opponent in Wyoming on Wednesday at Haas Pavilion.  The Bears hope to have injured Jabari Bird back for that one while Wyoming is hopeful their star, Larry Nance Jr. will continue to regain his full strength after injury issues to start the season.