Category: Cal Bears

Plodding Bears can’t shoot it or hold on to it in 65-56 loss to Washington

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Can’t shoot straight or pass accurately? You’re in trouble, especially in the Pac-12 Conference, where opposing defenses feed off that level of disfunction.

The Cal Bears started competitively for a change and kept within range for 35 minutes, but 31 percent shooting and 15 turnovers weren’t going to cut it against visiting Washington.

Cal fell to UW, 65-56, their 12th straight loss since they last won against Stanford on January 6.

One of the confounding aspects of Cal’s worst-ever season (along with the fact that they likely won’t win five games, which is hard to do when they, like all Power 5 schools, have a stranglehold on how they schedule, and who they play) is they continue to compile high turnover numbers despite playing at one of the slowest paces in 363-member Division I.

It makes sense that Cal plays slow. They’ve been decimated by injuries at the ball handling positions and again played without guard DeJuan Clayton on Thursday.

It doesn’t make sense that they regularly register double-figure turnovers at this stage of the season. But Pac-12 opponents sense Cal’s lack of organization and hunt the basketball as much as they successfully keep the Bears from scoring.

Again, on Thursday, the formula worked.

“We kept the score, the pace of the game where we wanted it,” coach Mark Fox said. “(It’s) just unfortunate that we didn’t make more shots.”

The Bears also missed seven free throws and fell behind by 18 points at one juncture. That preceded a 15-3 run that brought them within 52-46. But Cal would get no closer. The Huskies responded with a pair of free throws and a Keion Brooks Jr. dunk to push their lead back to ten.

“They’re at home. They’re fighting, but our guys, at the end of the day, found a way to win,” UW coach Mike Hopkins said. “We made some foul shots down the stretch and got the stops we needed.”

Brooks led UW with a game-best 24 points and 11 rebounds.

“They came out and fought hard,” Brooks said of Cal. “They were physical. We knew they were going to do that. Those are the type of games that you get up for because you know it’s going to be a little back and forth. But credit to them, we got up big and they didn’t go away.”

The Bears’ final home came comes on Saturday at 2:00pm against Washington State at Haas Pavilion.

UCLA Overwhelms Cal 78-43: Bears’ losing skid hits 11

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By Morris Phillips

UCLA coach Mick Cronin made his point at halftime of the Bruins’ game versus Stanford on Thursday: respect the opponent and be ready from the opening tap.

It was a message Cronin didn’t have to repeat prior to or during the Bruins meeting with Cal on Saturday.

Instead, the hyper alert Bruins displayed their readiness by holding the visiting Bears to 15 points before halftime. That’s the fewest a Cronin-coached UCLA team has allowed in any half of a game.

Message delivered by the Bruins and received by the downtrodden visiting Bears.

“They’re great defensively,” coach Mark Fox admitted. “You have to give them credit.”

Cal trailed by 23 points at the break, and their 22 percent shooting for the game gave them no chance for a recovery. The Bears have dropped 11 consecutive games since beating Stanford on January 6.

Were there any surprises in Saturday’s matchup between the nation’s number two ranked defense and the painfully-slow, 296th ranked offense? Well, maybe how few minutes were afforded hyped-up UCLA walk-on Russell Stong, who didn’t make his entrance until fewer than two minutes remained.

UCLA (23-4, 14-2) led by Jamie Jaquez Jr. with 20 points and Amari Bailey with 16. The Bruins continued their cruise to their anticipated showdown with Arizona in two weeks by winning their 23 consecutive game at Pauley Pavilion.

The Bears, led by Kuany Kuany’s 14 points, did themselves no favors by starting the game with a 12-0 deficit after trailing 13-0 at USC on Thursday.

The Bears (3-24, 2-14) return to Berkeley next week for their final, two home games against Washington and Washington State.

Stuck In L.A. Traffic: Cal starts slow, runs out of gas in 97-60 loss to USC

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By Morris Phillips

The baskets at USC’s Galen Center aren’t usually this big or forgiving.

But the circumstances were aligned on Thursday night as the Trojans were desperate to boost their NCAA Tournament aspirations at the expense of frustrated Cal riding a nine-game losing streak. The hosts took full advantage by shooting 58 percent from the floor in a 97-60 rout of the defenseless Bears.

“We weren’t ready to play defensively,” coach Mark Fox said. “I was certainly disappointed in that.”

Cal fell behind 13-0, trailed 50-23 at the break, and were behind by as many as 40 in the second half. USC poured it on with four double-digit scorers led by Drew Peterson with 30 points.

The Bears might have made do with 60 points scored, which is robust for them, but not with 15 turnovers and allowing the opposition to hit 12 3-pointers. Combined with the painful, slow start, Fox was adamant that his team get the message in order to gain consistency and competitiveness in the long run.

“We have to own our mistakes,” Fox said. “We have to learn from it. We have to grow.”

Cal (3-23, 2-12) was led by Monte Bowser with 13 points. ND Okafor and Kuany Kuany each contributed 11 points. The Bears continue their swing through Los Angeles on Saturday night at UCLA.

Several Pac-12 teams have NCAA Tournament hopes and know that a loss to Cal would be incredibly damaging to their resumes. Cal will get similar treatment from Oregon in two weeks in Berkeley, which makes it more difficult for them to sneak up on a lackadaisical opponent. Beating UCLA, which is hopeful for a No. 1 seed in the West Region could be just as difficult.

How daunting are Cal’s circumstances this weekend? USC is riding a 13-game win streak at the Galen Center after winning Thursday, and UCLA has won all 13 of their games this season at Pauley Pavilion.

Underwhelming In Overtime: Cal’s spirited effort short-circuits late in 70-62 loss to ASU

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Foul trouble and poor shooting didn’t doom the Cal Bears, but the fatigue they carried into overtime certainly did.

Arizona State picked it up in the extra, five minutes, and escaped with a critical, 70-62 road win. The Sun Devils, who went from ice cold during a lengthy stretch in the second half to red hot in overtime, made it work with their incredible effort on the glass.

Coach Mark Fox felt the ASU rebounding was the deciding factor in what was otherwise a statistically even ballgame.

“I felt like defensively they were terrific,” Fox said of his Bears. “We just didn’t rebound it well. Gave up 20 offensive rebounds, and that’s probably the difference in the game.”

The visitors snagged 56 rebounds, a total they hadn’t reached since February 1996 in Pac-12 competition. That big advantage helped them survive 33 percent shooting and a stretch where they made just one of their 20 shots.

Reserves Grant Newell and Monty Bowser kept Cal in it with 14 points a piece, but foul trouble ultimately wore the hosts down as starters Lars Thiemann and Kuany Kuany played limited minutes.

“We don’t have any depth, and everyone knows we don’t have any depth,” Fox said. “Tonight, it showed in the overtime. We wore down a bit.”

Desmond Cambridge led ASU with 24 points, and DJ Horne added 12. As productive as they were spoaradic, those two typified the Sun Devils’ ragged play with 21 missed shots between them. But in the end, the visitors kept their NCAA Tournament aspirations alive with an unlikely Bay Area sweep.

“I don’t know if I want to be in a close game with (Cal) because we could get tight, just thinking about their record. I don’t think that happened. Our guys were pretty clutch down the stretch,” ASU coach Bob Hurley said.

The Bears have dropped nine straight and played in front of another small, disappointing crowd at Haas Pavilion. Given that, a trip to Los Angeles to face USC and UCLA might be the best medicine for Cal after their 22nd loss of the season.

Bears Bow Quietly: Cal dumped by Arizona 85-62 at Haas Pavilion

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–A quiet evening inside Haas Pavilion resulted in a 13th consecutive loss to Arizona, a clear sign that things aren’t right within the Cal basketball program.

But they did display enough resolve to avoid a fifth, consecutive game with fewer than 50 points. They didn’t, however, come up with enough resistance for Arizona’s Oumar Ballo and Azoulas Tubelis, who ruled the paint and scored at will.

“We started poorly and dug ourselves our hole,” coach Mark Fox said. “We just weren’t big enough, physical enough to get some things done in there.”

The Bears missed their first seven shot attempts and faced an early double-digit deficit before settling in and competing. But that just got the hosts to halftime, trailing 42-30.

At that juncture, the Wildcats took off, leading by as much as 25 points and cruising to their 22nd win of the season.

Tubelis led the visitors with 23 points, 14 rebounds, and Ballo contributed 14 points, nine rebounds giving the Cats a decisive, 46-30 edge on the glass.

Cal again operated with a guard-deficient starting lineup without the injured Devin Askew. That placed 6’9″, Kuany Kuany in Cal’s starting backcourt but his presence did little to disrupt the Arizona pace and nationally heralded, transition attack.

Arizona finished with 50 percent shooting from the floor and 11 made threes as they slightly outpaced their conference-leading 83 points per game.

Cal was led by Sam Alajiki with 12 points and Lars Thiemann with 10. The Bears have dropped eight straight contests and are in the midst of a fifth 20-game losing season in the last six.

The biggest negative within the Cal program may have been the game’s attendance with the announced crowd at 3,289.

Cal Bears podcast with Michael Duca: Cal trying to prevent their 22nd loss tonight against Arizona; Team reportedly flying commercial not charter

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Cal Bears guard Joel Brown shoes in hand heads for the tarmac and boards a plane at Salt Lake City after playing the Utah Utes on Sun Feb 5, 2023 (@CalMBBall photo)

On Cal Bears podcast with Michael Duca:

#1 Sitting on 19 losses and inevitably headed toward an undesired historical 20th loss, the Cal Bears started Sunday needing to fess up to one fair conclusion. Is a big part of the reason Cal is not focusing is because they’ve been flying commercial rather charter as reported?

#2 Cal Bears currently not talented enough to compete in the Pac 12 with or without injuries, with or without USC and UCLA or any number of other considerations.

#3 It’s not a good look, and a trip to Utah’s Huntsman Center certainly didn’t change that. The Bears fared no better in a dreary 61-46 loss to the Utes that leaves them as the only program to suffer three consecutive 20-loss seasons in Pac-12 history.

#4 Cal trailed at halftime and then went the first six-plus minutes of the second half without a made basket. That allowed the hosts to extend their lead to as many as 20 points and cruise in beating the Bears for a fifth, consecutive time dating back to 2021.

#5 Cal (3-20, 2-10) fell to 0-8 in true road games and are fortunate to have their next two games at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley with Arizona up first on Thursday evening.

Join Michael Duca for the Cal Bears basketball podcasts Thursdays and Morris Phillips does all game recaps at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Bears Hibernation Continues: Cal runs into a mountain in 61-46 loss at Utah

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By Morris Phillips

Sitting on 19 losses and inevitably headed toward an undesired historical 20th loss, the Cal Bears started Sunday needing to fess up to one fair conclusion.

They’re currently not talented enough to compete in the Pac-12… with or without injuries, with or without USC and UCLA or any number of other considerations.

It’s not a good look, and a trip to Utah’s Huntsman Center certainly didn’t change that. The Bears fared no better in a dreary 61-46 loss to the Utes that leaves them as the only program to suffer three consecutive 20-loss seasons in Pac-12 history.

Cal trailed at halftime and then went the first six-plus minutes of the second half without a made basket. That allowed the hosts to extend their lead to as many as 20 points and cruise in beating the Bears for a fifth, consecutive time dating back to 2021.

“We had a very poor start to the second half for sure,” coach Mark Fox said. “You’ve got to be able to make some plays. Offensively, we just don’t have enough playmaking on the floor.”

Without leading scorer Devin Askew and experienced scorer DeJuan Clayton, who was absent due to an undisclosed illness, the Bears scored fewer than 50 points for the fourth straight game. The Bears played at their familiar, plodding pace but again had issues with turnovers, committing ten. Fox admitted the pace was what he wanted, but the lack of shotmaking sabotaged their effort.

“Until we can get somebody back we’re going to have to try to be elite defensively,” Fox said.

Lars Thiemann led Cal with 12 points, and Kuany Kuany added 11. Starting point guard Joel Brown failed to be a bigger factor, playing just 24 minutes with two shot attempts and one assist.

Utah guard Lazar Stefanovic led the Utes with 15 points, six assists and three of his teammates also finished with double-digit scoring. Utah wasn’t much better shooting the ball than Cal at 37 percent from the floor, but they got nine made threes from four of their starting quintet.

Cal (3-20, 2-10) fell to 0-8 in true road games and are fortunate to have their next two games at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley with Arizona up first on Thursday evening.

Woes Continue: Cal wears down in 59-46 loss to Colorado at Boulder

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By Morris Phillips

The lead up to Thursday’s game wasn’t positive: the Cal community lost heralded coach Lou Campanelli, the architect of their mid-80’s resurgence, who directed the Bears to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 30 years.

Then, leading scorer Devin Askew, who ironically has yet to participate in a win at Cal, was declared out for the remainder of the season with a nagging, sports hernia injury.

On Thursday evening, the Colorado Buffaloes’ defense proved burdensome as well.

The Bears suffered three lengthy, second-half scoring droughts and bowed meekly to CU, 59-46. The loss was Cal’s sixth in a row following an encouraging, early January win over Stanford.

Colorado’s win is their sixth consecutive over Cal at the CU Events Center, and it interrupted a rough stretch for the hosts in which they dropped five of their previous six games.

The Bears reached halftime both leading (27-24) and struggling, as they went the final 2:38 before the break scoreless. That trend would continue as the Bears scored just 19 points the rest of the way.

“It’s a testament to their grit and their toughness and not letting that frustration on offense bleed over into defense,” Colorado coach Tad Boyle said. “I’ve gotten on our guys about that at times this year when that’s happened, and tonight, it didn’t happen.”

The Bears shot just 37 percent from the floor and compiled a telling, nine assists. Leading scorer Kuany Kuany tallied 10 points but missed eight of his 10 shot attempts.

“We have to play with a tougher mentality on the road,” coach Mark Fox said. “We played about 25 good minutes, and then they made a run, and we collapsed for five or six minutes.”

Tristan da Silva led the hosts with 20 points and KJ Simpson added 10. Colorado gained revenge for their 80-76 loss at Berkeley on New Year’s Eve.

Cal’s road swing continues Saturday in Salt Lake City, where they will face Utah on Saturday.

Cal Bears podcast with Michael Duca: Cal hoping to get their offense up and running in Colorado tonight

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Cal Bears small forward Sam Alajiki (24) gets a leg up against the Oregon Ducks on Wed Jan 18, 2023 at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley. Alajiki led Cal in scoring with 13 points against the Stanford Cardinal in their last game on Sat Jan 28th at Maples Pavilion at Stanford (KLC fotos)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Michael:

#1 The last game was not quite the result that Cal Bears (3-18) head coach Mark Fox was looking for in a loss to the Stanford Cardinal (9-12) in Cal’s last game on Sat Jan 28th at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto 75-46. Fox was sure concerned about the defense that night.

#2 Only two Cardinal had double digits Maxime Raynaud (15 pts) and Ingram Harrison (14 pts) the Bears couldn’t stop Stanford’s offense in either the first or second half.

#3 Michael, talk about Sam Alajiki who was the only Cal player to finish in double figures with 13 but Cal didn’t get much help on offense the whole night.

#4 Devon Askew who had missed who had missed a good number of games for Cal didn’t play against the Cardinal how big was his absence for the Cal offense last Saturday?

#5 The Bears take on the Colorado Buffaloes tonight in Colorado the Buffaloes (12-13) have been having problems of their own they have lost seven of their last nine games they have the home floor and Cal has lost five straight what your take in this game?

Michael Duca does the Cal Bears podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Stanford more than prepared for Cal in 75-46 win at Maples Pavilion

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By Morris Phillips

STANFORD, CA–The hot-shooting Bears that throttled Stanford on January 6 didn’t necessarily impress their coach, Mark Fox. That same group arrived at Stanford on Saturday night without the shooting acumen, and they didn’t impress Fox either.

“I thought our defensive frustrations carried over to the offensive end and give them credit,” Fox said. “They made a bunch of baskets, we couldn’t string together any stops, and you can’t win that way on the road.”

Host Stanford raced to an 11-point halftime lead and led by as many as 37 in an easy 75-46 win over visiting Cal. Offensively, the Bears miserly 30 percent shooting didn’t put them in position to compete.

The Cardinal dominated the glass with a 47-30 edge in rebounds and used their physicality to deny the Bears. The win was Stanford’s fourth straight in what otherwise has been a frustrating season for them.

Maxime Raynaud led the Cardinal with 15 points, and Harrison Ingram added 14. Four other Stanford players scored at least eight points in a balanced effort offensively.

The Bears fell into last place in the Pac-12 with the loss and have lost all five contests since beating Stanford at the beginning of this month.

Cal travels to Colorado on Thursday tomeet the Buffs in hopes of ending their most recent losing streak.