by Michael Duca courtesy of bearinsider.com

calbears.com photo: The Cal Bears hosted the Cal Baptist Lancers in exhibition basketball Thursday night at Haas Pavillion

BERKELEY, Ca.  —  Exhibition games are not expected to be works of art, and Thursday’s game at Haas Pavilion certainly was anything but.  The California Golden Bears held on for an 81-73 win over a game Cal Baptist Lancers squad.

 The little-known Lancers are actually expected to be a good team this year, ranked #9 nationally in NCAA Division II after finishing last year ranked #14. Senior Michael Smith, who scored in double figures in 33 of 35 games last season, led all scorers on the night with 25 points on 9-of-27 shooting (1-for-5 behind the arc).

 The Golden Bears got off to a blistering start, and held a 15-2 lead after just 3:57 of play. They hit their first 5 shots from the floor, but finished the game 21-of-60 the rest of the way.  Cal Baptist whittled away at the lead throughout the rest of the first half, and trailed 40-32 at the break, after closing the gap to as little as 24-20. Cal extended their lead to as many as 15 in the second half, but the teams finished the game with each scoring 41 points after the break.

 California had balanced scoring, with four players in double figures.  The team was led in scoring by Kameron Rooks and graduate transfer (from Columbia) Grant Mullins, each of whom scored 16. “A game like this,” said Cal coach Cuonzo Martin, “you want to establish low post presence, and I thought Kam did a good job of scoring on those plays.”  Martin was pleased with what he saw from Mullins, also. “Just watching Mullins from the sidelines, I thought he did a good job, good decisions, seven rebounds, doesn’t make mistakes.”

 The Lancers hung in all night, and Martin did not sound terribly pleased with his defense. “I thought Cal Baptist did a good job of spreading us out and attacking the rim,” he said.  “They made some shots and kept spacing the floor all night.”

 Freshman Charlie Moore, Mr. Basketball Illinois last year, chipped in 9 points on 6-of-7 from the charity stripe. He may well be giving lessons to the remainder of the squad, which went a horrendous 14 for 33. The Golden Bears did seem more relaxed at the line in the second half, when they hit 11-of-17; still, they will have to do a LOT better shooting free throws to have lasting success on the season.

 “We did a poor job of free throws,” Coach Martin said, “and it’s hard to get into a flow and extend a lead when you are not shooting free throws.”

 Rooks, who broke his foot in the offseason, showed no ill effects of the injury.  “It’s all healed up now and I’m trying to get my timing back, but that will come along,” he said after the game.  His eight rebounds led all players, as did his four offensive boards. Rooks looked confident, was able to run the floor well, and was aggressive to the basket, with very good foot work – all positive signs of growth since last season.

 Stephen Domingo served notice he will be a part of the offense, hitting his first three shots on the night and contributing seven points to the 15-2 run that opened play. Domingo finished the night with 12 points and six rebounds on 5-of-8 shooting, and Martin reminded the assembled media that he had touted Domingo’s shooting improvement at Pac-12 Media Day.

 Ivan Rabb did not play, and Martin smiled when he said, “It wasn’t a coach’s decision – he injured his foot in a scrimmage and is not yet ready to play.”  When asked about Rabb’s current condition, since he was seen on the bench not wearing the protective boot he’s worn the past few days, Martin acknowledged that, while Rabb remains “day-to-day”, he expects the consensus All American to be practicing “any day”.

 Next up for the Golden Bears is the first game of the season where stats will count: Friday, Nov 11th versus South Dakota