Category: Cal Bears

Nine Wins, 99 Problems: Cal Women Win At Pacific 74-66, But Don’t Like How They Look

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By Morris Phillips

STOCKTON, CA–Coaches are demanding. Charmin Smith is demanding.

An 8-1 start to the season with wins over Arizona, Alabama, Auburn and Gonzaga wasn’t going to guarantee Smith’s Bears a 9-1 start and a win at Pacific Saturday.  Wanting results, she sent a group text.

“(We) messaged the whole team, ‘This Is A Really Big Game. This is a really good team. Bradley is a really good coach.’ And it took us a couple of good quarters to figure that out. But I’m glad that we were able to weather the storm and come away with the win,” Smith said.

Cal got their 9-1 start, but they didn’t play as poised as they did in the two previous wins. They couldn’t pull away as Pacific hung around by making shots when they didn’t turn it over. The host Tigers had 27 turnovers, 22 in the first three quarters.

But Cal saw some curious referee calls, and Michelle Onyiah foul out with 1:17 remaining. The free throws cut Cal’s lead to eight, and then briefly, it was cut to 70-64 with 36 seconds remaining before Cal closed.

Cal started breezy weezy with Ioanna Krimili making three 3-pointers in the first four minutes for an 11-4 lead. But their intensity waned, and Pacific led 21-19 after one quarter.

The second quarter was better for Cal by limiting the Tigers to 2 of 12 shooting. But they never gained any separation, missing 23 shots after the break. They didn’t play well without Onyiah either, who eventually fouled for the third time in four games.

The Pacific turnovers kept them from mounting a run and subdued their crowd as well. But Cal didn’t fully take advantage, scoring just 14 points off of them while flubbing a few, favorable fastbreak situations.

“I just said in the locker room to our team, we have not arrived, we have not done anything. We’ve done more than we did last year at this point. Right? By beating a Top 20 team,” Smith preached.

Krimili led Cal with 22 points, Marta Suarez had 21, and Onyiah 15 points, five rebounds in 22 minutes.

The Bears brace for Stanford’s annual appearance in Berkeley on Friday. The first-ever ACC regular season game for either team will be loud, intense, and pivotal. The two do meet a second time on January 23 at Stanford.

Cal Bears podcast with Stephen Ruderman: Cal just couldn’t surpass Stanford’s lead in 89-81 loss at UC Berkeley

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Cal Bears forward Rytis Petratis (31) drives on Stanford Cardinal guard Jaylen Blakes (21) at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Sat Dec 7, 2024 (Cal Bears X photo)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Stephen Ruderman:

#1 Stanford Cardinal (8-2) Maxime Raynaud converted almost 50% of his shots leading the Cardinal with 20 points he was getting the open shot quite often today against the Cal Bears (6-3).

#2 The Cardinal pretty much were having their way in the first half outscoring Cal 47-31.

#3 The Cardinal defense held the Cal Bears to single digits the Bears Andrej Stojakovic and and Javon Blacksher were the only two players to get into double figures.

#4 Talk about Stanford’s defense they were able to keep the Bears at arms length for most of the game. The closest that Cal got they tied the game but just couldn’t take the lead at any point in the contest.

#5 Cal hosts the Cornell Big Red (5-3) in their next game here at Haas Pavilion for a 7:00pm PST tip on Tuesday night. Cornell won their last game against Colgate 84-57. Cornell has won three of its last five games. How do you see this match up this Tuesday?

Stephen Ruderman is a Cal Bears beat writer at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Bears game wrap: Stanford beats Cal 89-81 in wild and hectic first all-ACC game between two historic rivals

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Cal Bears forward Lee Dort (31) and guard Jovan Blacksher Jr (10) talk it over as they battle the Stanford Cardinal at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley Sat Dec 7, 2024 (Cal Bears X photo)

Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024

Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California

Stanford Cardinal 89 (8-2 Overall; 1-0 ACC)

California Golden Bears 81 (6-3 Overall; 0-1 ACC)

By Stephen Ruderman

BERKELEY–The Bears fell short in a weird and wild game against their hated rivals in their first all-ACC game, as the Stanford Cardinal came to Haas Pavilion to beat Cal 89-81.

It was only fitting that the Bears’ first ACC game would be against their longtime hated rivals, and the only other team that moved over with them from the Pac-12. During his announcement that this was the first all-Atlantic Coast Conference game for the Bears, Public Address Announcer Matt Foley could have made fans aware of the view of the Pacific Ocean from the upper level of Haas Pavilion, but with the smog outside, that would have been meaningless.

Anyway, it was a matchup between two evenly-matched teams that were off to great starts. Cal came into today’s game at 6-2, following a tough 98-93 loss at Missouri on Tuesday night. Stanford is also off to a great start this season, as they came into today at 7-2. As evenly matched as this matchup was, the game would be both evenly matched and far from it.

Stanford just took it to the Bears out of the gate, and Maxime Raynaud hit a three to open the scoring. Oziyah Sellers then slammed one down after intercepting a pass from Jovan Blacksher Jr., and Raynaud hit a jumper.

Just a minute and 20 seconds in, Stanford already held a 7-0 lead. Stanford extended their lead to 14-4 three minutes and 40 seconds in, and they would remain comfortably ahead throughout most of the first half.

However, the Bears suddenly caught fire in the latter part of the first half. Andrej Stojakovic made a pair of layups, and Mady Sissoko dunked one to close the deficit to just four at 27-23.

Raynaud made a jumper to extend Stanford’s lead to 29-23, but Joshua Ola-Joseph hit a jumper and a layup, and Stojakovic made a layup. In just three minutes and 12 seconds, the Bears went on a 12-2 run to suddenly come back and tie the game.

However, in just under two minutes, Jaylen Banks hit a pair of threes, and Sellers hit a three of his own to put Stanford back ahead 38-29. It was a very interesting five-plus minutes to say the least, but Stanford was back in control of the game.

Stanford went into the half up 47-31 after closing out the first half with a remarkable 18-2 run. The Bears started the second half with an 8-2 run, and the raucous crowd at Haas Pavilion was certainly feeling it. However, Stanford remained in command throughout most of the second half.

However, to the Bears’ credit, they never gave up, and fought until the bitter end. Stanford extended their lead to 20 points at 77-57 with 5:37 to go, but Cal made one last charge in the final minutes.

A three by Rytis Petratis closed it to 81-71 with 2:47 to go. 34 seconds later, Ola-Joseph hit a three to make it 81-74. In a game of many dominant scoring drives, the Bears were on a 17-4 run, and in position to pull off a comeback for the ages.

The crowd at Haas Pavilion was on fire and ready to bring the place down. Chisom Okpara was fouled and hit two from the line, but Stojakovic hit a three to make it 83-77 with 1:21 remaining. It was certainly more than enough time for the Bears to tie the game, or even take the lead, considering the crazy drives the two teams went on throughout this game.

However, it was not meant to be. After the score stagnated for the next 29 seconds, a foul by Ola-Joseph sent Sellers to the line. Sellers made both shots, and that pretty much did it. Stanford won by a final of 89-81.

Cal has now dropped two-straight to fall to 6-3, and they are 0-1 in ACC play. However, as tough of a loss as this was for the Bears, they should hold their heads high. They never gave up, and they believed that they were going to come back and win this game until the bitter end.

Stojakovic led the scoring with 25 points for the Bears, as he was 11-for-25 in field goals, and 3-for-7 from beyond the arc. Blacksher scored 14; Sissoko scored 11; and Ola-Joseph and Petraitis both scored nine.

Raynaud and Blakes led the scoring for Stanford with 20 points each. Sellers was not too far behind with 16 points.

The Bears will have another non-conference game against the Cornell Big Red at Haas Pavilion on Tuesday night. Tipoff will be at 7 p.m.

Composed Cal Women Hold Off No. 19 Alabama 69-65, Improve to 8-1

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Doing something once could be an aberration. Doing it repeatedly, intentionally, and forcefully is difficult but draws positive attention.

That description fits the Cal women and defines their 8-1 start to the season, which now includes a groundbreaking win over No. 19 Alabama in the ACC-SEC Challenge.

The Bears–much like a cross-country flight–have arrived. After nine games, they can say they’ve developed a method to win games that works. Combine that with being nearly completely healthy and having room for more contributors and growth over the entire season makes for a bright picture.

Thursday was a great win but also an opportunity to acknowledge the faith the Bears have shown in each other just to get them to this point.

“Doing it with people you love, and people you enjoy doing it with it’s a lot of fun,” Marta Suarez said. “It’s a great feeling for sure.”

Coach Charmin Smith, who has held the whole program together for six years despite tremendous odds caused by frequent losses and rough results, lifted the moment after the final horn on the microphone to the departing crowd. 

“See you at the next one. You know who’s next,” she said, reminding everyone that Stanford visits a week from Friday.

Smith was brief, needing to say just a little, and noticeably emotional. Good stuff, and not only for people who compare coaches’ exhortations.

Suarez became effusive when asked about the team’s growing chemistry and their uncanny knack for getting the ball to the hot hand a high rate.

“We are intentional about it. We have conversations about it. We try to get to know each other better. We try to be there for each other. It’s not something that just happens,” Suarez said. “The coaches do a good job recruiting and taking care of that culture. ‘Who are we bringing in? How do they fit with the pieces we have?'”

“We’re intentional about it, and we’re proud about it.”

Thursday’s game turned immediately after halftime when the Bears got hot, hitting 10 of their 13 shots to grab a lead after trailing 34-26. Alabama briefly regained the lead to start the fourth, but Ioanna Krimili’s three on which she was fouled produced a four-point play. The Bears never trailed again over the final six minutes.

Kayla Williams led Cal with 21 points, six rebounds, and a bunch of smart decisions that kept the offense humming after halftime. Smith pointed to Michelle Onyiah’s presence after she was limited by foul trouble in the first half. With Onyiah operating around the basket, things opened things up for Suarez, who finished with 16 points, six assists.

“It was a great game for Marta on both ends of the floor. And then Kayla making plays, hitting dagger threes and responding. These guys didn’t hang their heads, and they responded. That’s the true sign of winners,” Smith said.

Zaay Green tied her season-best with 28 points to lead Alabama. Coach Kristy Curry pointed to reserve Diane Collins’ absence impacting the Tides’ rotation, which saw four starters play 38 minutes, not including starting post Essence Cody, who played 32 minutes but was under the weather.

“Cal made a few more plays,” Curry said. “They’re a really good team. They’re a veteran team. I love how they shoot the basketball. They have a great inside presence, so really balanced one through five.”

The Bears travel to Pacific on Saturday afternoon to face Pacific at 2:00p.m.

Stanford Cardinal basketball podcast with Michael Roberson: Cardinal tip off against Cal Saturday at noon in Berkeley

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Stanford Cardinal guard Oziyah Sellers (4) drives on Utah Valley Wolverines guard Kylin Green (3) at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Tue Dec 4, 2024 (Stanford Cardinal photo)

On the Stanford Cardinal basketball podcast with Michael Roberson:

#1 The Stanford Cardinal’s Jaylen Blakes led with 18 points and had a career high of six rebounds, four assists, and three steals and is in the top ten in the nation with with free throws.

#2 Oziyah Sellers scored 15 points while going 6-11 shooting and Maxime Raynaud scored 14 points and tied his career high in rebounds with 17.

#3 Stanford’s defense held the Utah Valley Wolverines to just 36.9 points and 29.4 from behind the three point arc.

#4 The Cardinal who were down by six points down 12-6 in the first 4:45 of the game came back 12-3 and got scoring from Blakes, Sellers, and Raynaud for the 77-63 win at Maples Pavilion.

#5 It’s the basketball version of the Big Game this Saturday at Cal for a 12pm PST tip off. The Cardinal are 7-2 and are 1-0 on the road. The Bears are 6-2 and are 5-0 at home. Michael how do you see this match up Saturday at 12 noon at UC Berkeley.

Michael Roberson is a Stanford Cardinal beat writer at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Bears WBB podcast with Morris Phillips: Can Cal stop undefeated Alabama tonight at Haas?

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Cal Bears center Michelle Onyiah goes for the shot against the Arizona Wildcats guard Jada Williams (2) at the McHale Memorial Center in Tucson AZ on Tue Dec 3, 2024 (Cal Bears photo)

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips:

#1 This Cal Bears (7-1) team is up for the challenge as take on the undefeated Alabama Crimson Tide (9-0) as they head into Haas Pavilion Thursday night for a 6:00pm PST tip. At first a lot of people didn’t like the idea of the break up of the Pac 12 but getting a chance to see the various different teams in the ACC does add an interesting aspect for Cal to play different teams for the first time?

#2 How impressive was it for Cal to be down by nine points in the first quarter against the Arizona Wildcats but came back in the second quarter and never looked back in a contest they won 74-62 at the Acrisure Classic in Palm Springs Tuesday .

#3 Michelle Onyiah had a career night on Tuesday in Arizona with a team leading 25 points talk about her success in offense and how important a role she will have in tonight’s game against the Crimson Tide?

#4 Onyiah also picked up a second game in a row double double, also with 13 rebounds tops for the season so far. Morris the win also snaps Cal’s seven game losing streak against Arizona.

#5 Cal is competitor and they will take on their toughest task of the season against the Crimson Tide of Alabama. Some of the players the Bears have to look out for are Alabama leading scorers Zaay Green, Essence Cody and Sara Ashlee Barker. How do you seen Cal’s chances of handing Alabama their first loss of the season?

Morris Phillips is a Cal Bears beat writer at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

SMU Outclasses Cal, Goes 8-0 To Finish First In The ACC

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By Morris Phillips

Cal’s opportunity to end their regular season in a rarified manner fell apart before Saturday’s 12:30p.m. kickoff.

Quarterback Fernando Mendoza, Cal’s offensive catalyst, was ruled out due to an illness. Massive offensive linemen Nick Morrow, Fred Williams, and back Jaivian Thomas couldn’t go either due to injuries. Then, national-title contender SMU appeared as scheduled. And boy, were the Mustangs motivated.

“We wanted to go 8-0,” coach Rhett Lashlee said. “We wanted to win the regular season outright and not share it. And we were playing for a lot because the College Football Playoff still comes out with rankings for two more weeks. … We didn’t need to stumble. Have a setback.”

SMU glided to a 21-0 first half lead and won 38-6, the near-perfect lead-in to their ACC Championship game date with Clemson. The Bears spent more than half the game trying to score their first three points and struggled to run their offense for much of that stretch.

The Mustangs’ offensive line pushed Cal’s front around in their touchdown drives. That activity bought Kevin Jennings time to throw, or the zone blocking scheme opened lanes for Brashard Smith to run. Both had big games, and rarely did SMU run a poor play in the sequence. The home team’s failing was 17 penalties for 137 yards that limited their time of possession but didn’t negatively impact the scoreboard.

“I thought Kevin quietly played one of his better games of the year,” Lashlee said. “I think we scored on three of those first four drives. I know we didn’t score on the first one. We had 21 points pretty quick on their defense.”

Jennings was 20 of 30 for 225 yards passing, and Smith has 134 yards running and receiving. For Cal, the running game had too few explosive plays.

“Not good enough at any position to put points on the board,” coach Justin Wilcox said. “It was an offensive issue today, not just quarterback.”

Chandler Rogers completed 8 of 15 passes for 84 yards, but he left injured in the third quarter. C.J. Harris finished the game for Cal and was 6 of 8 passing. In the first half, Cal gained 45 yards in 20 rushing attempts. The closest thing to success was Derek Morris’ 38-yard field goal miss.

Cal did have its full list of pass catchers, but they weren’t sharp or productive. Nyziah Hunter led with five catches, but he had a key procedural mistake pre-snap when Cal was driving before the break. Seven others caught a pass, but the total passes caught was only 14.

After taking their 21-0 leady early in the second quarter, the Mustangs went more than half the game before scoring again in the fourth. A field goal, a second touchdown pass from Kevin Jennings, and a 40-yard touchdown pass from Preston Stone capped the scoring.

The Bears may wait 10 to 14 days to find out what their bowl destination will be as the 13th of 17 conference teams to reach bowl eligibility.

ACC Weekly: Smith, Jennings and Lashlee Are SMU’s Horse-Powered Engine

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By Morris Phillips

Coach Rhett Lashlee knew what Brashard Smith could do running and catching passes. Lashlee recruited Smith out of high school and saw his versatility and big play potential.

With Smith in the transfer portal after three, mostly inactive seasons with the Miami Hurricanes, Lashlee didn’t have a spot or a need for a slot receiver. So, for two weeks, the portal became a confusing place for Smith and his services.

Then Lashlee got creative. Call it coach’s intuition… and ingenuity.

“Man, he’s just too explosive of a talent. Let’s see if he can play running back,’” Lashlee said.

Smith, more concerned about being around coaches he could trust than positional fit, said yes to being a Power 4 running back without any experience.

And guess what? The gamble paid off.

Smith has 1,089 yards rushing, 209 yards receiving, and 15 touchdowns while playing in all 11 games this season. The Mustangs coaching staff has managed the undersized Smith beautifully, limiting him to fewer than 20 carries in all but one game in regulation, and four or fewer pass receptions.

Not only has Smith been productive and available, but he’s fumbled just twice despite running with a bruising, physical style that no one, even himself, knew he had. A notion that turns a flyer into an All-ACC skill position player is transformative. For SMU, it’s meant going from an ACC also-ran to a national title contender.

“He just runs with that downhill mentality for a smaller back, can definitely get on the edge, and can really catch the football,” Lashlee said.

Kevin Jennings had two scholarship offers initially, none from a Power 5 school and one from Missouri State, which he nearly accepted. The high school quarterback from Dallas South Oak Cliff, which produced Dennis Rodman, was drawing attention, but for his part in an ensemble cast that would go on to capture the 5A State title in 2021, the first time in 63 years the title had gone to a school from Dallas.

Jennings’ teammates drew more attention than he did from college recruiters, but his play led the Golden Bears to the title. Lashlee came to recruit Jennings’ teammates Jaxson Lavender and Jayden Lawton but left wanting Jennings.

“You couldn’t miss him, just like I think that people that are starting to watch him play now in college, if they do watch him, they go, ‘Woah,'” Lashlee said.

Coming into 2024, Jennings’ sophomore year at SMU, he was still trailing on the depth chart behind starter Preston Stone. But Lashlee committed to playing both quarterbacks, and Jennings eventually won out and hasn’t lost a game in the starting role. SMU sits at 10-1, entering their regular season finale against Cal with a spot in the ACC Championship game already secure.

Jennings has impressed with his ability to extend off-schedule plays using his legs to escape and his arm to deliver the ball. Smith’s provided the perfect compliment with his explosive running. And Lashlee, just 42, as the architect of both players’ development, earned a well-deserved extension that keeps him at SMU through 2030.

Lashlee got his coaching start as an assistant under Auburn’s Gus Malzahn. He replaced Sonny Dykes at SMU in 2022 after Dykes left for TCU.

Cal Bears football podcast with Morris Phillips: Cal set to face the mighty SMU Mustangs in Dallas Saturday

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Cal Bears linebacker Jackson Simon (8) celebrates scoring on a fumble return against the Stanford Cardinal at Cal Memorial Stadium in Berkeley on Sat Nov 19, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Cal Bears football podcast with Morris:

#1 The Stanford Cardinal dropped their last game for their eighth loss of 2024. The Cardinal got off to a great start against the Cal Bears in Berkeley in the battle for the axe with two touchdowns in the first quarter taking a 14-0 lead on two touchdowns passes from Cardinal quarterback Justin Lamson.

#2 Cal would score the only points in the second quarter when Bears quarterback Fernando Mendoza threw to Trond Grizzell for 16 yards cutting Stanford’s lead 14-7.

#3 Stanford in the third quarter would pull away with a touchdown pass from running back Micah Ford to wide receiver Emmett Mosely. Stanford took a 21-10 lead going into the third quarter.

#4 Cal scored a couple of touchdowns in the fourth quarter at 10:09 Mendoza threw a 30 yard pass to wide receiver Jonathan Brady and at 2:40 Mendoza once again hit his favorite target Brady for a 22 yard touchdown as Cal comes back for a 24-21 win.

#5 Cal concludes it’s regular season against the SMU Mustangs at Gerald J Ford Stadium in Dallas this Sat Nov 30th with a 12:30pm PST kickoff. The Mustangs are having a season they are 10-1 and are on a eight game winning streak. How do you see this match up this Saturday at SMU.

Morris Phillips podcasts Cal Bears football Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Women Capture Acrisure Classic Consolation Game 74-62 Over Arizona

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By Morris Phillips

This time, the Cal women looked composed and focused… when they weren’t turning the ball over.

Clearly a sign of improvement, the Bears displayed their version of Bear Down, by methodically leaning on Arizona in a 74-62 win in the Acrisure Classic Consolation Game in Palm Springs that featured 25 points from Michelle Onyiah.

“Our biggest strength was getting the ball into Michelle and the way that she finished around the rim,” said Charmin Smith, who rode off into the sunset on Onyiah’s back after both were interviewed on television after the game. “We didn’t have that yesterday. I’m really proud to see her get a career high and do what she needed.”

In contrast to the jumbled manner in which the Bears concluded their loss to Michigan State, this was a walk in the park with the Cal perimeter players getting the ball to their 6’3″ center repeatedly where she converted a high rate of success.

Onyiah finished 11 of 14 from the floor, and 3 of 4 from the foul line. With Arizona missing post defender Breya Cunningham, Onyiah’s efficiency kept Cal in front from midway in the second quarter to the game’s conclusion.

“We just got murdered by the post players this weekend, and some of that was because we’re missing size and Breya’s presence inside,” Arizona coach Adia Barnes said.

Cal stacked up 13 offensive rebounds and made 20 of 26 foul shots. They conducted their offense patiently despite the Wildcats’ pressure defense. Cal’s 21 turnovers aided Arizona’s ability to hang around to the final minutes. Cunningham missed both games in Palm Springs when a family member was hospitalized, and she returned home immediately.

“Arizona is a really aggressive defensive team” Smith said. “They have some really active and athletic players on offense who can get to the basket, but we wanted to be the tougher team on both ends of the floor. And I think we did that, and I think that allowed us to get the win.”

Lulu Twidale added 18 points for Cal, and Gisella Maul played 20 minutes and scored 10 points in the absence of Jayda Noble, who was present but unable to participate.

Leading scorer Jada Williams led Arizona with 18 points, but she needed 17 shots to get there, and she missed a key, second half stretch due to foul trouble.

The Bears (7-1) are off for an entire week before hosting No. 20 Alabama and traveling to Pacific next weekend.