Author: moepea

I like lilacs, mist and cold air.

Utah Nips Cal: Bears rally falls short in aggravating 60-58 loss

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–The general rule of thumb is when a Pac-12 opponent is trying to give you something, take it.

But on Saturday afternoon at Haas Pavilion, Utah kept giving and host Bears were slow to take, in a frustrating 60-58 loss.

The Utes survived despite going without a made field goal for six-and-half minutes in the second half and losing leading scorer Branden Carlson to injury. Cal got within two points twice, the first with 19 seconds remaining. But Lazar Stefanovic hit a pair of free throws before Jalen Celestine canned a three with five seconds remaining and Utah escaped.

The Bears missed eight of their last 10 shots, and went more than four minutes without a field goal before Celestine’s 3 in the final seconds. Cal shot just 39 percent from the floor, and missed nine of their 11 3-point attempts after halftime when they needed at least one big shot to draw them closer.

“At the end of the night we’ll look back and realize the consequences of some little mistakes throughout the game were great,” coach Mark Fox said. “We had some little mistakes that you look back that were just back-breaking in a two-point loss.”

Marco Anthony led Utah with 13 points, four rebounds and four assists.

“This season, leading up until now, we’ve been on that other side and there’s been some obstacles,” Anthony said. “But now we’re getting over that hump.”

Lars Thiemann led Cal with 16 points, and Kuany Kuany added 10, but they were the only two Bears to make more than half of their attempted shots.

Jordan Shepherd, who scored 33 in the win at Oregon, had 10 against the Utes and was limited by a hand injury suffered in that previous game. Shepard played 34 minutes Saturday but had just two made baskets. Fox touched on Cal’s limitations in playing without Andre Kelly, their leading scorer who has missed the last seven games with a season-ending ankle injury.

“The issue for us, when Lars goes out, we get small really fast,” Fox said.

Utah and Cal have amazing parallels starting with their 10-game losing streaks. Both teams broke their streaks by beating Oregon State less than a week apart, and have gone on to now record road sweeps with Cal winning twice in Oregon last week and Utah beating Stanford and now Cal this week.

Both teams are 4-13 in league play and tied for 10th place after Saturday’s contest. Each will have three more opportunities to come up with a fifth Pac-12 win or more. For Cal, their best shot at another conference victory comes this Saturday against visiting Stanford.

Second Half Stampede: Colorado bests Cal, 70-62, ends Bears modest win streak

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Five consecutive halves of competitive basketball from the Golden Bears delivered the expected: two wins and a loss.

The loss came Thursday night at Haas Pavilion, 70-62 to Colorado as the Buffs seized control of a close game with a 14-1 run to start the second half. Cal’s 25 percent shooting after the break put an end to what had been a promising start, and a continuation of the club’s strong play during their sweep of the Oregon schools.

“We were pleased with our play on both ends in the first half, and then really disappointed with how we started the second half,” coach Mark Fox said. “We didn’t play well enough in the second half and I thought Colorado took advantage of our defensive play.”

The Bears shot 15 of 29 in the first half and led by seven at the break. But an opportunity was missed in the final minutes when they missed four 3’s and failed to go to halftime with a double-digit lead. The second half started with a string of empty possessions contrasting the Buffs’ aggressiveness that saw them take the ball to the basket repeatedly with success.

“I’m really pleased with the toughness we showed,” Colorado coach Tad Boyle said. “Cal’s a physical team. We had to be tougher and stronger and we played that way.”

Cal’s close of the first half, and their drought to start the second saw them miss 22 of 25 shots. That took the home crowd out of the mix, and left the Bears in a tough spot, entirely of their making according to Fox.

“As soon as adversity hit, we didn’t respond the right way and I was certainly very disappointed in all of us tonight.”

What specifically changed? The Buffs defensive pressure. Cal enjoyed a string of open looks in the first half. That stopped after the break as Colorado gained intensity. And the Bears’ response wasn’t to match the visitors’ energy. That difference was reflected in a 43-28 edge in the rebounding for the visitors, and in Colorado’s 21 made free throws, a benefit of them taking the ball to the basket.

“We clawed our way back in by getting stops,” Boyle said. “We adjusted in the second half and turned it around.”

CU got 19 points each from Jabari Walker and freshman KJ Simpson. Evan Battey added 18.

Jalen Celestine and Grant Anticevich led Cal with just 11 points each, and Kuany Kuany added a season-best 10 in just 18 minutes off the bench.

The Bears continue their home stretch with a 3:00pm meeting with the Utah Utes on Saturday.

Bears Find Safe Passage On The Oregon Trail: Cal completes rare road sweep, shocks the Ducks, 78-64

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By Morris Phillips

More than 200 years after the Oregon Trail was established, there were the Golden Bears trapping opponents, and trading their tarnished reputations for new ones draped in respect on Super Bowl weekend.

Yes, winning first at Oregon State, then shocking the NCAA-hopeful Oregon Ducks, 78-64 on Saturday afternoon demands some historical perspective for Cal hoops. The first win for the Bears in Eugene since 2014 was also was biggest win in coach Mark Fox’s tenure in Berkeley. The embattled coach’s remarks afterwards slyly interpreted the occasion.

“This isn’t about me,” Fox said. “This is about trying to re-establish Cal basketball. We came here expecting to win.”

Getting the opportunity to say what you wouldn’t dare say before you stop a crippling, 10-game losing streak is wholly satisfying. Getting to say it in a manner that defends your methods and personality even more so. Fox earned that opportunity on Saturday, and selflessly spread the wealth.

“During that stretch, you find out who’s with you and who’s not,” Fox said of the losing streak’s effect on his team. “And those kids in there never wavered.”

What the Bears accomplished on Saturday was nothing less than shocking in its manner and impact. After a leisurely start that saw the visitors fall behind 12-5, a timeout hatched a 24-0 run that had Cal in control, leading 29-12 with 7:19 remaining before the break. During the timeout, Fox reiterated to his club not to force the issue at the rim with the athletic Ducks, but instead take what Oregon’s zone look would afford.

“We said, take the midrange jumper,” Fox said of his message. “It’s still a good shot in basketball.”

Jordan Shepherd connected from the free throw line extended first, then less than a minute later, Kuany Kuany buried a jumper from nearly the same spot. Sam Alajiki hit a 3, then Lars Thiemann followed with a layup while fouled, and he hit the following free throw.

On the other end, Oregon (16-8, 9-4) committed a pair of turnovers, then missed two 3-pointers. Their Matthew Knight Arena crowd grew quiet, and Cal kept up the onslaught. Ultimately, the Ducks would misfire 10 consecutive shots, and the 3’s that had carried them–Oregon leads the Pac-12 in shooting percentage from distance at 36 percent–would be their worst enemy. Against Cal, the Ducks were 5 for 27 from distance.

“We came out and gave them easy baskets to start the game,” OU coach Dana Altman said. “They got rolling, and we could never get it stopped. And then on offense our ball movement wasn’t good, we missed some open shots and maybe tightened up a bit.”

Shepherd led the Bears (11-15, 4-11) with 33 points on 9 for 15 shooting from the floor. No one else was in double-digits for Cal, Grant Anticevich, Jalen Celestine and Makale Foreman each scored eight points.

The Bears enjoyed a healthy advantage on the glass early, limiting the Ducks to one shot on most possessions. The final rebounding numbers were 36-31 for Cal, but the first half, when the game was decided, greatly favored Cal.

The Bears shot 53 percent for the game, and didn’t allow themselves to be hurt by their 17 turnovers once they gained control.

On Thursday, the Bears get the unique opportunity to further reiterate their resurgence in a meeting with Colorado on Thursday at 6:30pm at Haas Pavilion.

Bears Breakthrough: Cal wins at Oregon State, 63-61, ends 10-game losing streak

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By Morris Phillips

Throughout a difficult losing skid, and after an injury sidelined their leading scoring for the rest of the season, the Cal Bears kept it together. The payoff for all that focus and belief came Wednesday night.

Maurice Calloo’s improbable miss at the rim that would have sent the game into overtime, allowed the Bears to escape with a 63-61 win in Corvallis over Oregon State. Cal broke their 10-game losing streak, and won for the first time on the road this season.

“These young men weren’t winning but they were functioning like winners so you had to know things would eventually turn around if we did the right thing,” coach Mark Fox said.

The Bears (10-15, 3-11) trailed by one at the half, and never led by more than four points. That led them to a suspenseful conclusion in which Jordan Shepherd’s shot was goaltended with 18 seconds remaining, breaking a 61-61 tie.

Andre Kelly, Cal’s leading scorer who injured January 29 in a loss to USC was declared lost for the season before the game when medical tests on his ankle revealed significant damage. That again forced Fox to rethink his lineups, and depend on a smaller core of performers.

Against OSU, Grant Anticevich, Jalen Celestine, Joel Brown and Shepherd each logged at least 35 minutes, and Cal had to weather their own uneven play at points due to their reliance on the tighter rotation.

Calloo’s 3-pointer with 11:43 remaining put OSU up 47-42, but Cal responded with an 11-2 run to lead 53-49 with 6:47 left.

“We weren’t good defensively to start the second half, but once we strung together some stops, I felt like we settled in,” Fox said.

The Bears took advantage of Oregon State on the glass with 14 offensive rebounds leading to 17 points. That along with 10 steals offset Cal’s 36 percent shooting that was too poor to allow them to sustain any momentum.

Shepherd led Cal with 15 points, and Anticevich had 13 points, eight rebounds. Brown contributed nine points, nine rebounds and seven assists along with a stellar defensive job on OSU’s Jarod Lucas, who scored just two points after halftime.

“I’m super-proud of Joel. He really competed well tonight and I thought he was probably our MVP,” Fox said of Brown. “We had a lot of guys chip in and play well but he was the difference in this one.”

Last season the Beavers (3-18, 1-10) defeated Cal three times, and then the Bears were forced to watch the hosts improbable run, as OSU won the Pac-12 Tournament and advanced to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament. But those standout performers that led Oregon State have endured a rough season that’s landed them in last place in the conference.

Warith Alatishe was limited to 24 minutes on Wednesday and finished with seven points, seven rebounds while clearly favoring a previous knee injury.

Calloo led Oregon State with 18 points but missed 10 of his 16 shots from the field.

The Bears travel to Eugene on Saturday to face the Oregon Ducks at 1:00pm.

Not Tyrese!: Haliburton trade shocks Sacramento, Wolves clock the Kings, 134-114

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By Morris Phillips

SACRAMENTO–Kings’ fans already knew they have to patient and resilient, but they certainly didn’t know bidding adieu to their brightest, young star was the harsh addition to that reality.

Their message to the Kings’ organization:

It’s a lot (more) to ask.

Tyrese Haliburton was dealt on Tuesday to Indiana along with Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson for Domantas Sabonis, Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb and a second-round pick in 2023.

Throughout the league, the reaction was the same, why move Haliburton, a fan favorite that was a steal as the 12th pick in the 2020 Draft, who had posted career bests in points (38) and assists (17) in separate games in the last two weeks?

Well, the faltering Kings had to move someone, and no other Sacramento player possessed Haliburton’s trade value, reference the fact the move fetched an All-Star in Sabonis, and two quality, veteran additions to the team’s backcourt, which was desperate for a defensive upgrade, which they got.

In addition, Hield’s declining numbers didn’t match his sizeable contract, which has two years remaining, and the 25-year old Sabonis has a far friendlier deal that has him also signed for two more seasons.

But Haliburton is viewed as the most promising player in the deal, and that tilts it towards the Pacers.

The Kings took the floor Tuesday without the three traded players, but also without Richaun Holmes due to personal reasons, and Marvin Bagley, who has a sprained ankle. That left the hosts without much of defensive presence, and the Wolves pounced with 73 first half points, and 22 made threes in the game. The Kings trailed by 11 at the half, and showed life early in the third when they cut the deficit to four, but the Wolves seized control for good at that juncture.

Karl-Anthony Towns led Minnesota with 24 points, and Malik Beasley was spectacular off the bench with 21, consisting of seven made threes. Naz Reid added 12, and Jordan McLaughlin added 11, as did Taurean Prince.

Ironically, Beasley has also been the subject of trade speculation with the trade deadline approaching on Thursday at 12:00pm. His play and his words afterwards displayed his focus.

“This is my sixth year in the league, and I’ve been traded before,” he said. “The only thing you can do is control what you can control. … I’d rather be here, but it’s a business, so you can never know what can happen.”

The Kings got 29 from De’Aaron Fox and 21 from Harrison Barnes. Rebounding (49-38 for the Wolves) hurt the Kings, as did their 19 turnovers.

The Kings have dropped 14 of 18 and sit in 13th place in the Western Conference.

The clubs get a quick turnaround and face each other again on Wednesday at the Golden 1 Center.

Quick Wash: Stanford bullies UW, 87-69, gets respite ahead of UCLA clash

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By Morris Phillips

STANFORD, CA–Tight scheduling doesn’t normally equate to crisp gameplans and preparedness, but it did for Stanford on Sunday.

In the midst of a stretch of eight games in 17 days, the Cardinal looked completely focused on taking apart Washington, which they did in an 87-69 win at Maples Pavilion.

The wire-to-wire win started with a 15-2 burst, and reversed a dismal performance at Seattle on January 15 in which the Cardinal trailed the Huskies by 18 points at halftime.

In the rematch, Stanford’s size and unselfishness carried them offensively, and a savvy defensive plan shut down the visitors, especially early on when the game was decided.

“The gameplan was we’re going to impose our will on them,” James Keefe said. “And a lot of that involved blown up ball screens. Applying a lot of pressure to guys who are shooters but aren’t as comfortable dribbling the ball or playing on the ground.”

Washington came in with confidence, winners of seven of nine, and they saw that eroded by Stanford’s big guys busting through UW’s signature zone and creating high percentage scoring opportunities in the paint. Keefe was a beneficiary of that, contributing 17 points, five rebounds as was Jaden Delaire, who led Stanford with 18 points on 6 of 10 shooting from the floor.

Washington’s biggest push of the afternoon came early, a 14-2 response to Stanford’s initial run that brought them within 17-16, but Stanford answered with an 8-0 surge. The Cardinal weren’t threatened after that, and led 46-33 at the break.

Terrell Brown Jr., the Pac-12’s leading scorer, impressed with 30 points, seven rebounds and six assists, but he didn’t get much help. Reserve P.J. Fuller had 11 in 34 minutes off the bench, but he misfired on seven of his ten shots from the floor.

The Huskies’ starters not named Brown shot 5 for 22 combined, and that included two misses from Daejon Davis, the Stanford transfer, who departed five minutes in with an apparent shoulder injury.

The Cardinal get a visit from UCLA on Tuesday, in a rescheduled game that was postponed due to COVID issues. The Bruins’ fitness for that one will be closely watched after they fell in Tempe to Arizona State, 87-84 in three overtimes on Saturday night.

The Cardinal weren’t tested over the entire 40 minutes on Sunday afternoon, and 14 saw action, with none playing more than the 30 minutes afforded Michael O’Connell. That could provide an advantage on Tuesday, which Stanford will need. The first meeting between the clubs on January 29 in Los Angeles saw the Cardinal lose by 23 and shoot a season-worst 27 percent from the floor.

A Missed Shot Here, A Failed Pass There: Cal comes up short in 68-64 loss to Washington State

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY–The narrowest of Cal’s ten consecutive losses was going to be agonizing under any circumstances, but losing streaks unearth patterns, and the Bears showed their stripes in Saturday’s 68-64 loss to Washington State.

Missed shots, failed passes, empty offensive possessions continue to plague the Bears, whether they commit those errors repeatedly or sparingly, as was the case in a four-point loss to the Cougars that the hosts could have pushed to overtime with a timely bucket in the game’s final minute.

Instead–without the benefit of a timeout to gain composure–Joel Brown got to an advantageous spot on the floor, but missed a nine-footer that was awkwardly released.

Coach Mark Fox referenced the final three minutes, but his team’s 14 turnovers, 14 missed 3’s and 15 fouls–six more than WSU committed–took place over the entirety of the 40 minutes. The biggest of the those mistakes may have been a turnover at mid-court to start the second half, which prompted Fox to call a timeout just 13 seconds in.

“We got a little bit to casual, and that led to a turnover,” said Fox. “All of the little things matter.”

On Cal’s second possession of the half, Kuany Kuany backed down his defender with a lack of urgency, and without an advantage, and the 6’9″ forward was whistled for an offensive foul. In essence, Cal’s afternoon was short circuited in the first two offensive trips after halftime, not in the final minutes, as Fox claimed.

While the root cause of Cal’s defeat may be cause for debate, the reason the Cougars snatched the win was obvious. Washington State has undeniable, offensive acumen typified on Saturday by diminutive guard Michael Flowers.

Flowers, one of the most sought after players to emerge from the transfer portal in the off-season, put up 21 points, making his first, four 3-point attempts, along with four, consecutive made free throws in the game’s final 30 seconds. Early in the second half, Flowers attacked the basket with two Cal defenders waiting, and emerged with a nifty layup on an up-and-under move.

Coach Kyle Smith has turned diminutive guards with offensive talent into stars at Washington State and before that, at USF. He summed up Flower’s contributions while unconsciously hinting at what Cal currently lacks.

“That’s what good players do, they secure rebounds, and make free throws, put those games away, close them out,” Smith said.

The Cougs (14-7, 7-3) captured their first road sweep of Stanford and Cal since 1993. Efe Abogidi contributed 17 points, 11 rebounds and Tyrell Roberts added 12 points.

Cal got a career-best 20 points from Jalen Celestine, along with 16 points, four rebounds from Grant Anticevich in 36 minutes off the bench. Jordan Shepherd was the only Cal starter to score in double figures, but he was 5 for 18 from the floor for 10 points.

Kuany and Sam Alajiki went scoreless after their minutes were curtailed despite both being in the starting lineup.

The Bears (9-15, 2-11) get time to reset before traveling to Oregon for contests with the OSU Beavers on Thursday and Oregon on Saturday.

Dialed In From Distance: Hot-shooting propels Washington past Cal, 84-63

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Remember the awful shooting Huskies that barely survived their non-conference schedule, and suffered embarrassing loses to Northern Illinois and Utah Valley?

That’s not how they roll these days. The Cal Bears can attest to that.

Jamal Bey scored 20 points, and Washington hit 12 of 23 from three in an 84-63 rout of host Cal on Thursday night. The visibly fatigued Bears dropped their ninth straight and their second, consecutive loss at Haas Pavilion by more than 20 points.

“We played like a tired basketball team,” coach Mark Fox said. “We were just a step behind everything. We got to get some rest and regroup.”

Cal (9-14, 2-10) fell behind immediately, trailing 10-2 less than four minutes in. A Washington scoreless stretch of more than four minutes provided the Bears and opening, but they failed to take advantage. With 12:22 remaining in the half, Cal trailed 10-8, but from that juncture the Huskies went from scoreless to bonkers.

Washington (12-8, 7-3) hit 11 of their next 19 shots to lead 38-29 at the break.

The individual scoring for the Huskies progressed like a relay race. Emmitt Mathews Jr. scored UW’s first seven on 3 for 3 shooting, then went quiet. The Pac-12’s leading scorer Terrell Brown Jr. was next with 13 of his 19 before halftime.

Bey, the lone non-transfer among the Huskies’ starters heated up after the break. Daejon Davis, the transfer from Stanford, took his turn after Bey.

The toll? The quartet combined for 27 made baskets, and ten of the Huskies’ 12 3-pointers. Only Brown did his work inside the arc, registering all eight of his buckets from two. And make no mistake, Cal was victimized everywhere, allowing 10 layups, three dunks and 17 fastbreak points.

“We have some tired guys,” Fox said. “They didn’t have the juice tonight.”

Among the teams in Cal’s five game-in-10 days stretch, UW was supposed to offer the respite. Cal’s other four opponents–USC, UCLA, Stanford and Washington State–all have NCAA aspirations, and figured to be merciless. In the lead up, Washington’s conference schedule was labeled as a run through the league’s bottom tier with Arizona the only ranked opponent.

Well, on Thursday, the UW’s run continued; the Huskies have won 7 of 9.

“We’re just coming in with a different mindset,” Davis said when asked about UW’s in-season turnaround. “Everyday there’s a message that goes in our group chat, and it’s ‘Believe.’ And that’s something we’re sticking by and we just want to put together as many wins in a row that we can. And it’s always good to get a road win.”

Obinna Anyanwu led Cal with 10 points, Jalen Celestine added nine in the absence of Andre Kelly, who missed his second straight game with an ankle injury. Jordan Shepherd and Grant Anticevich combined to miss eight attempts from hree.

The Bears will be even more focused on Saturday for Washington State’s visit in hopes of avoiding their streak hitting 10 games. But focus might not mean fresher legs. The 1:00 pm tip comes just 36 hours after Thursday’s meaning the Bears will do more mental gymnastics than on-court conditioning.

“This is a one day prep,” Fox revealed.

Championship Reboot: Stanford steadier than Arizona, Brink spectacular in highly competitive rematch that could run it back in March

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By Morris Phillips

STANFORD, CA–Famously, Tara VanDerveer has said in the past, “I don’t like upsets.”

The Hall of Fame coach, now in her 36th season at Stanford with an NCAA record 1,141 victories has a built a basketball institution on the Farm by embracing the role of the favorite and squeezing every ounce of competitiveness from her athletes, a comprehensive list of All-Americans, WNBAers, and players who have gone on to become successful coaches in their own right.

VanDerveer–like any coach stuck in the gym year-after-year and needing new motivations–also appreciates competition.

Currently, and apparently going forward, Arizona’s Adia Barnes is providing that competition. A healthy crowd, and a national television audience got a taste of the high-level matchup on Sunday, in No. 2 Stanford’s 75-69 win over No. 8 Arizona. Barnes, the all-time leading scorer at Arizona, and head coach now in her sixth season is on a trajectory that’s rivaled only by VanDerveer and Connecticut’s Geno Auriemma.

Game recognizes game, and it embraces that game as well.

That’s the kind of game that we’ve been playing with Tennessee and South Carolina,” VanDerveer said after the game. “They’re a great team. We could be playing them again in the Pac-12 Tournament. We stay healthy, they get healthy, we’re both going to NCAA Tournament.”

The level of play amongst the nation’s best women’s programs continues to rise, as does interest and broadcast ratings. WNBA expansion is in the air, as well as an infusion of capital to grow the world’s most prestigious professional league. To live up to the hype, the talent has to match the aspirations. On Sunday, the talent was on display at Stanford.

Cameron Brink, a thin, long-armed 6’4″ forward was Sunday’s biggest talent. Brink led Stanford with 25 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks. Barnes and the Wildcats came in preoccupied with 6’1″ Haley Jones, adjusting their lineup to matchup with Stanford’s singular talent, but Brink quickly proved that the Cardinal have two matchup nightmares. Brink’s blessed with great hands to go with her length, and at points in the game, she was playing volleyball with the basketball… by herself.

“Cameron did a really good job of asserting herself and just kind of bulldozing us,” Barnes said. “I thought we had to be a lot more physical with her.”

Brink made eight of her first 10 shots, and registered a double-double in the first half alone (10 points, 11 rebounds). But typical of Stanford, Brink had to share the spotlight. Jana Van Gytenbeek, like Brink also a sophomore, light it up from deep, contributing a career-best six 3’s on her way to 18 points. Four of those six came in the decisive, second quarter as Stanford got hot and a stretched their one-point lead to eight.

“Jana really made a statement how hard she played, offensively, defensively, knocking down her shot she stretches the defense,” VanDerveer said. “It was really exciting for her. We had the 1-2 punch, the inside and outside. I love it.”

“The end of the second quarter really hurt us,” Barnes said. “And then in the fourth quarter, we just got murdered inside. I think as a team we just got to do a better job of crowding and making it more difficult.

“Jana and Cameron killed us, together over 40 points. That can’t happen.”

Throughout, both teams spaced the floor offensively in a manner that’s typical of women’s professional game. The mindset on each side was to attack of the dribble, get to the basket or find shooters. And what really caught everyone’s attention was how ready and willing the shooters were. Van Gytenbeek was the biggest catch-and-shoot nightmare, but Arizona’s Cate Reese and Bendu Yeaney were ready to pull the trigger too with Shaina Pellington the playmaking driver who has most embodies what Arizona lost in All-American Ari McDonald, a top pick in last spring’s WNBA draft.

Pellington was trouble on the defensive end as well, part of a multi-headed monster that took on the task of getting Jones stopped. And in the absence of a defining victory, Arizona could claim a win in their battle to stop Jones, a player who’s way too fluid for her size with great balance, and the ability to pile up big numbers over smaller players in the paint. But Barnes envisioned a plan to control Jones and it worked.

Jones came in averaging 13 points, four assists, but was held to 2 of 12 shooting, and committed six turnovers. At points, Jones appeared demoralized, but in those moments, she could be seen glancing at the scoreboard, giving herself a reminder that her subpar play wasn’t negatively affecting the team.

In the last six seasons, Arizona’s rise has been meteoric. Barnes returned to Arizona where she was a standout all-conference player from 1994 to 1998, after serving as an assistant under Mike Neighbors at Washington. Neighbors specializes in developing clubs that seek 3-point opportunities relentlessly, and run in a Paul Westhead-type fervor to create those opportunities. Barnes adopted that style and added her own personal grit from her playing days when she took over an Arizona program that had lost its way, finishing in the lower half of the Pac-12 standings more often that not.

High-Minded Hoopfest on the Hardwood: Stanford outslugs Cal, 57-50

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By Morris Phillips

STANFORD, CA–Determined to avoid a bad loss, Stanford got an ugly win.

The Golden Bears got what was left–and not what they were looking for–a seventh, consecutive loss.

That’s what you get on a rare Tuesday in the Pac-12: succinct conclusions, ragged hoops and gutty performances. Throw in Cal’s signature deliberate pace, and this one was hardly memorable, but it was hard fought. The compressed schedule that has Cal (2-9, 9-13) playing five times in 10 days, along with Tuesday’s physical play clearly impacted them in a second half that was controlled by the hosts.

“I do think that we wore down a little bit in the second half,” coach Mark Fox said. “Certainly we missed Andre on the offensive end, but defensively we gave ourselves a chance.”

Powered by a 9-0 run early, Cal led for much of the first half. But the Cardinal’s defense and rebounding eventually became the story. Cal trailed by just one point at the break despite shooting 32 percent from the floor. Better shooting in the second half (38 percent) didn’t propel the Bears, instead they fell victim to Stanford’s insistence on getting the ball to the rim. Cal’s attempts to rally failed as they missed eight of nine 3-point attempts after halftime.

“We talked a lot about pace during halftime and just getting the ball moving, getting downhill off screens,” Stanford’s James Keefe said when asked what changed after the break. “But, I think coach gave us a good plan and we got it going from there. So, I guess you could say stagnant.”

Jaden Delaire and freshman Harrison Ingram led Stanford with 12 points a piece. Spencer Jones and Michael O’Connell each had nine points, and fifth starter Keefe best “embraced the grind” as described by coach Jerod Haase. Keefe finished with eight points and 11 rebounds, and a bunch of hustle plays in an uneven first half that could have saw the Cardinal fall into a hole.

Andre Kelly was absent for the Bears, as a result of his leg injury suffered on Saturday at USC. Lars Thiemann responded with the lengthiest and most impressive outing of his career with 11 points, six rebounds in 32 minutes.

“Lars really did an admirable job,” Fox said. “I was surprised he could go 30 minutes. He’s been our leading scorer and rebounder in practice all year. He just needs confidence to let the game slow down, and that’ll help him get better.”

Jordan Shepherd led Cal with 15 points, but missed 12 of his 17 shots from the floor. Grant Anticevich was reinstated to the starting lineup, but his seven points, seven rebounds weren’t impactful enough, especially in Kelly’s absence.

Washington visits Cal on Thursday, the Bears next opportunity to end a losing streak that has them currently 10th in the conference race ahead of one-win clubs, Oregon State and Utah.