By Morris Phillips

SAN JOSE, CA–Fifteen ACC basketball teams hit the hardwood on Saturday, and one–Cal–had a particularly difficult time gaining a feel for holiday hoops.

The Bears made 14 baskets in 40 minutes of play and were drubbed by No. 23 San Diego State, 71-50 at the San Jose Tip-Off in the SAP Center.

During a lengthy run by the Aztecs late in the first half, and immediately after another missed shot by Cal, coach Mark Madsen lost it for nearly 45 seconds, yelling at the officials, drawing a technical, and needing three, different staff members to provide physical restraint.

“Mad Dog at Midnight* (in the East)” probably drew big numbers for ESPN. But this game in a quiet, cavernous Shark Tank did not.

“San Diego State took us completely out of our offense,” Madsen said. “Our defense in the first half was OK. Our defense in the second half was poor.”

Only one made 3-pointer highlighted the first half, and when the Aztecs’ Nick Boyd hit two threes in the first minute of the second half, the game was essentially over with Cal trailing 31-16. The Bears slumped even further, trailing by as many as 27 before falling by 19.

“We stuck in the game with our defense,” SDSU coach Brian Dutcher said. “We started making some threes, and that opened up the game for us.”

“We couldn’t find a rhythm,” Madsen said. “They played with so much physicality, got us off our spots.”

Boyd led SDSU with 17 points, Miles Byrd and BJ Davis each scored 12.

Cal shot 25 percent for the game, and leading scorer Andrej Stojakovic missed his first nine shots from the floor, and was limited to 10 points. Jeremiah Wilkinson led Cal with 13 points.

The SAP Center provided Cal the floor earlier in the day, but that session was canceled when the rims appeared six inches too low, and the 3-point line was set at an improper distance.

The Aztecs couldn’t get to San Jose after a couple of canceled flights on Friday, and they ended up driving to Ontario to fly from there. That change completely severed the traveling party, all of whom outside the players and coaches ended up on busses that arrived less than an hour before game time.

All the upheaval was brushed off by both coaches, but Cal’s play obviously suffered. Dutcher, who has more than two decades coaching at San Diego State alone, was more effusive about what his Aztecs have accomplished despite challenging logistics.

“We had as good a non-conference we could have with the schedule we played. A loss to Gonzaga and a loss to Oregon is nothing to hang your head over. Wins obviously over Creighton, Houston and Cal, UC San Diego was 9-2. We put together a good non-conference resume,” Dutcher said.

Cal’s 50 points on Saturday were easily the fewest scored by a team on the ACC scoreboard. Stanford, with 61 points, and Georgia Tech with 65 were also challenged to score, and both lost as well. The Bears resume ACC play in Pittsburgh on New Years Day.

Oh, not to muddle Cal’s holiday cheer, but the Pitt Panthers scored 110 points on Saturday in dusting Sam Houston State to improve to 10-2.

Merry Christmas.