Photo credit: @CalMBBall

By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA — Size and athleticism were in abundant display for the Cal Bears in their exhibition debut victory over University of Providence.

Kingsley Okoroh, one of the few familiar faces in the Cal lineup, led the way with a triple-double (14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocks). Kentucky transfer Marcus Lee joined Okoroh in the team’s twin towers starting lineup and contributed 17 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks.

Returning guard Don Coleman led Cal in scoring with 20 points.

New coach Wyking Jones, an assistant under former head coach Cuonzo Martin had the Bears playing a more uptempo style including a frequent, full court press. The Bears held the Argonauts to just 22 percent shooting in the first half in which they established a 44-24 halftime lead.

Providence’s shooting picked up slightly in the second half and the Bears cruised to a 81-52 victory. Deontae Woodbridge led Providence with 13 points but missed eight of his 12 shots from the field.

The Bears were picked to finish 11th in a Pac-12 pre-season poll, a nod to all the personnel and coaching changes on a team that has seven freshmen and a junior transfer, Jacob Orender.

The Bears official season opener comes on Friday night against UC Riverside at 9pm at Haas Pavilion.