Category: Cal Bears

By Morris Phillips

The whistles were unkind, but Isaiah Mobley was just plain rude to the Cal Bears on Saturday.

The Bears hot shooting from game’s opening tip carried them only so far in a frustrating 79-72 loss to No. 15 USC as Mobley and Ethan Anderson rallied the Trojans in a physical contest that was still up for grabs with two minutes remaining.

The 6’10” Mobley (24 points) and Memphis transfer Boogie Ellis (21 points, five assists) came up with career-best scoring performances to help navigate the Trojans through a slow start that saw them trail by 11 early, and lead by just two points with 2:21 left.

“Cal played outstanding offensive basketball,” USC coach Andy Enfield said. “They made shot after shot and competed at a high level. They played well. It took everything we had.”

The Bears (9-12, 2-8) dropped their seventh straight contest, and still haven’t won on the road in six tries. Their 50 percent shooting, including eight made 3’s kept them in it, but the size disparity between the teams showed at the free throw line where the Trojans made 21 of 28. The free throws made and attempted were both season-bests for the hosts.

“We did a lot of good things, but we just didn’t close it and again we just got murdered at the free-throw line, and that’s the difference in the game,” coach Mark Fox said.

The Bears made eight of their first ten shots and led 20-9. They were still leading 27-18 and shooting 69 percent from the floor when USC responded. Ellis and Mobley contributed 11 points in USC’s 21-4 run that gave them a 39-31 lead with 1:40 to go before halftime.

The Trojans led 41-35 at the half despite Cal’s 54 percent shooting.

“I wish we could have held the lead there at the half. We just couldn’t quite do it under the circumstances,” said Fox, who sensed USC could grow tight if Cal maintained the lead, and threatened to deal USC consecutive losses after Stanford stunned them on Thursday.

Makale Foreman led Cal with 13 points in just 12 minutes on the floor. Jalen Celestine, Andre Kelly and Jordan Shepherd each scored 12.

Kelly embodied Cal’s biggest adjustment from Thursday’s drubbing at UCLA to their resurgence offensively at USC by taking quick-hitting entry passes to the basket before the taller Trojans could react. Kelly converted a jumper in the lane just 13 seconds into the second half to draw the Bears closer, down 41-37.

But Kelly wasn’t around for the finish. He suffered a leg or ankle injury with 11 minutes remaining and departed. Joel Brown also was absent for the game’s conclusion after he fouled out despite playing just 13 minutes.

Cal’s quest for a first win on the road, and a first against a ranked opponent continued despite the absences. Ellis’ consecutive baskets gave USC their biggest lead of eight, but Cal responded with five straight points to cut the deficit 63-60 with 7:08 remaining.

And again the Bears sliced the Trojans 67-60 advantage to two with consecutive baskets from Celestine and Foreman that brought the Bears within two points with 3:26 remaining.

In the end, the Bears couldn’t draw any closer. Grant Anticevich missed a pair of shots in the game’s final two minutes, finishing 3 of 13 from the floor as the team’s normal late game go-to guy couldn’t escape his shooting slump.

On Tuesday, Cal visits Stanford in a rescheduled contest that has the Bears playing five times in a 10-day stretch.

By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Cal fans showed up, and Coach Mark Fox left early. Talk about both being out of character.

No. 3 Arizona has a way of leaving opponents, and others, twisted. The Wildcats are that good, that devastating, reference their wire-to-wire, 96-71 win on Sunday afternoon at Haas Pavilion.

“If you look at the completeness of their team with multiple bigs, terrific shooting, an outstanding wing, depth, they are playing like the best team,” Fox admitted. “Their margins of victory.. like today was obviously big, but that’s what it’s been. They’ve been dominant.”

Arizona (16-1,6-0) hit the gas so quickly, skid marks could be seen near the Haas entry ways. They led 17-3, 34-16 and 46-26 a minute after Fox lost his composure, drawing a second technical and an ejection. Cal’s Jordan Shepherd missed his first seven shots, and the Bears misfired on five attempts from distance, part of 7 for 30 shooting to start that left them in a big hole.

“It’s what you hope for on the road, that you come out and from start to finish your team is solid and they execute the plan,” first-year Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. “We did a really good job of dictating what they were doing on the offensive end, and then on our end of the floor getting into our movement.”

Talent? The Wildcats have it abundance. Their top eight scorers–with Bennedict Mathurin (17.3 ppg) leading, and Pelle Larsson (6.4) trailing–are all capable of big scoring nights, when needed, on demand. Against Cal, Mathurin struggled (3 of 9 from the floor) as Christian Koloko took over the paint (19 points, 13 rebounds) in the absence of 6′ 11″ Azoulas Tubelis, Arizona’s second leading scorer. Larsson got a turn in the starting lineup and was impressive on both ends. He finished with nine points and two assists in 21 minutes.

Cal’s shrewd plan to get Shepherd going from the perimeter first to then provide space for Andre Kelly and opportunities for Grant Anticevich was immediately foiled. Arizona’s length at the guard spots and quick feet defensively bothered Cal like 16 Wildcats opponents were bothered before.

With assistant Chris Harriman directing the club, the Bears benefitted from Arizona’s careless ball handling to open the second half, but the visitors’ transition game kicked in and Cal trailed 66-40 with 12:56 remaining.

Shepherd led Cal (9-10, 2-6) with 21 points, rebounding from his scoreless start. Kelly and Makale Foreman added eight points each.

The Bears have dropped five straight, three straight at home, with three, tough road games to follow. The Bears have yet to win a road game this season, losing all four to date.

UCLA looms as Cal’s next opponent on Thursday, the Bears’ opportunity to display all the wisdom gleaned from a 60-52 loss on January 8 in Berkeley. The problem is the No. 9 Bruins aren’t coming off a three-week break due to COVID this time, and are unlikely to start sluggishly playing at home.

WE STAYED. COACH YOU HAVE TO STAY TOO: All season, coach Mark Fox has wanted to combine his team’s hustle and flow with an intimidating, loud Haas Pavilion atmosphere. COVID has disrupted his plans, from the canceled and rescheduled games to the stringent vaccination requirements for fans in the building.

Sunday’s gathering of 7,582 represented a breakthrough for attendance this season, despite the hastily arranged gametime layered on top of some pretty, compelling nationally-televised NFL games. But when the game turned lopsided soon after it began, the fans never got a chance to make their presence felt.

Fox had his hand on the proceedings, but he let the referees get involved contrary to the coach’s better judgment.

“My frustration wasn’t just about tonight. My frustration was (about) some things that built up to it,” he said. “The official decided, like in third grade, to instigate a staring contest and, like in third grade, I took the bait and got my second technical and put our team in a tough spot.”

Fox picked up his initial technical two minutes before the second. Afterwards, he framed his actions as positive, saying “if I have to lead the fight, sign me up.”

Others might say his actions weren’t a sign of leadership. Regardless of how his actions were perceived, he’s got two bigger issues, only one that enhances his future in Berkeley: he’s maintained team unity and focus under the most trying of circumstances, but Fox has not reached the baseline for recruiting in a conference driven by talent as much as exemplary coaching.