California Golden Bears forward (#21) Sammie Yeanay shoots a three-pointer against the USC Trojans in a NCAA nonconference basketball game at the Haas Pavilion on Wednesday, November 11th, 2026, in Berkeley, CA. (Photo credits to Michael Villanueva)

By Michael Villanueva

BERKELEY -Happy Veterans Day to everyone who has worn our nation’s uniform, and thank you for your sacrifice and service to our country. The California Golden Bears (2-2) returned from Lake Tahoe and hosted the No.21 USC Trojans (3-0) on Wednesday night. In a rivalry dating back to 1916, California and USC faced off after both schools returned from Lake Tahoe on Sunday. However, the Trojans defeat the Bears 77-65, having USC feeling golden leaving the Bay Area. Trojans have now won the first three games of their season.

Alijah Arenas, Rodney Rice, KJ Lewis, Jacob Cofie, and Darius Ratliff were the starting five for the USC Trojans. The last time USC was in action was on Sunday night’s Caesars Lake Tahoe Classic, when the Trojans defeated Wichita State 93-86 with 32 points and nine assists from Rodney Rice and 30 points from Alijah Arenas. Rice and Arenas became the first USC teammates to both drop 30 points in a game since 2015.

Jordan Ross, Mantas Kocanas, Jake Wilkins, Sammie Yeanay, and Nojus Indrusaitis started for California. California also attended the Caesars Lake Tahoe Classic, but lost their first game of the season. The Bears were led by Mady Cooper, who scored 19 points and made five 3-pointers. The Golden Bears made nine of their 26 shots from beyond the arc, and Jordan Ross scored 15 points and five assists.

California’s Jake Wilkins was fouled while taking a shot and hit his free throws to get the first bucket of the night. In the first three minutes of play, Cal’s defense and the crowd at Haas Pavilion caused early turnovers for the Trojans. USC would have three early turnovers, and Cal took advantage of those errors. The Bears would lead 9-2.

Cal’s early efforts and their explosive plays would get them the early edge over USC. However, Trojans guard Rodney Rice would get USC back on track with a three-pointer and send the team on a 7-0 scoring run. Trojans’ defense would step up as the Bears were seeing scoring droughts throughout a majority of the game. Also, USC was staying aggressive on the defensive boards with Cal struggling to make a shot. The Trojans would end the half with 28 rebounds, while Cal only had 17 rebounds.

By halftime, USC was leading Cal by 9 points, 39-30. Leading the Bears in scoring at the end of the first half was Sammie Yeanay with 9 points. The Trojans were led by Rodney Rice with 12 points, 2-of-5 from three-pointers. Both teams were also shooting below 50% from beyond the arc. The Bears and Trojans both take pride in their defense, as every bucket that was made was well-earned.

Going into the final half, the Trojans were starting to get their offensive momentum going. USC guard KJ Lewis opened the first half with a 4-point play after getting fouled shooting from deep. USC’s lead would jump to 11 points, 53-42. That lead had a lot to do with Cal’s defense getting called for fouls. Trojans Rodney Rice would score 4 points strictly from free throws, after Cal couldn’t stop him from driving into the paint to score.

The Bears weren’t just gonna let the Trojans walk into their “Haas” and take over. In the last ten minutes of the game, Cal did their best they could to bounce back. After the shots were falling for the Trojans, USC couldn’t get one to go in for almost two minutes. The Bears would go on a crucial 7-0 scoring run during that time, and cut the lead to 4 points, 53-49.

The Bears’ late scoring runs brought life back into the fans and the players. The Trojans were ready to put the final dagger in the Bears. USC would retaliate with a 7-0 scoring run of their own in the final three minutes, and ultimately end the Bears’ optimism to win. As the game clock ran out, the USC Trojans would get the win 77-65. In Cal’s loss, the Bears were led by Sammie Yeanay with 14 points and 3 rebounds.

California will take a few days off before they return in action on Saturday afternoon. The Golden Bears will host the Utah Tech Trailblazers (1-2) at 2 p.m. and will be broadcast live on the ACCNX. The Trailblazers are coming off a road loss to Utah State, 118-86.