Category: Cal Bears

Cal finds themselves looking up to visiting USC in 76-68 loss

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–USC’s length and persistence in the paint found its match in Cal’s grit and grind for stretches on Saturday at Haas Pavilion. In the end however the Trojans’ size never relented in their 76-68 win over the Bears.

Evan Mobley had 17 of his game-best 25 points in the second half allowing USC to seize control of a close ballgame in the final minutes as Cal couldn’t capitalize on leading scorer Matt Bradley’s return to action.

The 7’1″ Mobley, currently the third highest ranked NBA prospect in the 2021 draft, consistently challenged the Bears on the block resulting in dunks, offensive rebounds or fouls. Andre Kelly and D.J. Thorpe both fouled out inside five minutes remaining as the freshman knocked down 12 of 15 from the line along with five offensive boards and one don’t blink-fast putback dunk.

“I try to catch it mid-post, drive hard if the lane’s open. If not jab step, shot, create the help, kick out, just make plays for my teammates,” Mobley said in a brief description of his expansive game.

“I think you saw an improved Evan Mobley today than he was early in the week” USC coach Andy Enfield said. “He’s getting better and we demanded that of him this week and he responded in a huge way.”

Cal’s deliberate pace which made UCLA antzy and turnover-prone on Thursday played perfectly for the Trojans who wanted Mobley, his 6’10” brother Isaiah and three other regulars–all 6’8″ or taller–on the floor as much as possible. Evan Mobley seemingly never sat, playing 35 minutes and 19 of 20 after halftime.

Meanwhile, Cal started slowly (trailed 15-4 after five minutes) then bought Bradley off the bench in his first action after missing five games with an ankle injury. His appearance acted as a stabilizer as he along with Grant Anticevich and Joel Brown started to find some gaps in USC’s defense. At the break–and after the horrific start–the Bears trailed just 35-34.

But one early, second half sequence typified Cal’s inability to sustain any momentum as they followed Jarred Hyder’s four-point play with an airball, then a shot clock violation on the next two possessions.

In the final minutes, Ryan Betley’s three brought Cal within 68-66 with 3:02 remaining. But the Bears would score just once more–Betley’s layup–with 28 seconds left.

Anticevich and Brown led Cal with 15 points each, and Bradley added 11, but showed his rust with 1 of 6 shooting from distance. Both teams were 24 of 58 from the floor (41 percent) with the deciding factors the free throw line and the glass where Cal was outscored 21-13 at the foul line and outrebounded 41-32.

The Bears resume their schedule Thursday in Tempe with the rematch against Arizona State.

Cal Bears podcast with Michael Duca: Lots of defense but Cal falls four points short to UCLA 61-57 at Haas Pavilion

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The Cal Bears guard Ryan Betley (00) takes a jump shot against the UCLA Bruins guard Jaylen Clark (0) at Haas Pavilion on Thu Jan 21, 2021 (dailycal.org photo)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Michael Duca:

#1 Michael, Cal tried to keep within range of one of the Pac 12’s best the UCLA Bruins but it wasn’t enough in a four point loss 61-57.

#2 For all their effort Cal took a 36-32 half time lead and maybe some confidence they might pull another upset off like they did in Utah last Saturday.

#3 The Bruins one to never give up stayed just ahead of Cal winning the second half of the game 29-21 which ended up being a four point win for UCLA.

#4 Despite the loss it was close and the Bears seemed to have improved their play. They beat the Utah Utes in a nine point game in Utah and played a close game with the Bruins has Cal head coach Mark Fox improved both offense and defense and has he changed the playbook to improve the recent games?

#5 Cal gets another test as they face another big force in the Pac 12 the USC Trojans. The Trojans last game on Thursday night against Stanford was canceled due to Coronavirus protocols if they can get healthy for Saturday how do you see Cal matching up with the Trojans?

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

Cal’s upset bid fails in the final minutes of a 61-57 loss to No. 24 UCLA

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By Morris Phillips

The strategy in the final minutes of a close contest for the trailing team is universal: foul, stop the clock, put your opponent on the foul line, hope for misses and lengthen the game.

But what if the referees are swallowing their whistles and letting both teams play? And your opponent is No. 24 UCLA who routinely defends without fouling?

Well, that strategy won’t work as Cal found out Thursday night at Haas Pavilion when their upset bid fell short in a 61-57 loss to the Bruins.

Jules Bernard’s 3-pointer with 2:08 remaining proved to be the pivotal basket, and gave UCLA a 59-55 lead in a game that was back and forth throughout the second half. Misses by Jarred Hyder on Cal’s ensuing two possessions brought Cal no closer. Finally, Hyder scored with 13 seconds remaining, but the Bears had to foul three times to regain possession. With just eight seconds remaining–and Cal again trailing by four after Johnny Juzang made two free throws–UCLA used one of their fouls to give to prevent a Cal 3-point attempt.

A pair of meaningless shots in the final seconds fell short for Cal, quietly ending their bid to upset the Bruins, who are now 8-0 and alone in first place in the Pac-12.

“We got the lead there late, tried to get our best defensive lineup in, and we kept them off the foul line,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said. “It was an advantage down the stretch. We knew we had fouls to give with the way we were trying to play defense, so that helped us.”

“We just couldn’t get to the foul line in the second half,” said Cal coach Mark Fox, who saw his team limited to 21 points after halftime after leading 36-32 at the break.

UCLA has now committed fewer fouls than all 14 of their opponents. They committed just 11 fouls in the game and only 20 were whistled prior to the furious final seconds. While Cal slowed the pace, the referees sped the game along. In a game that was completed in well under two hours, the undermanned Bears got few chances to catch their breath.

Grant Anticevich led Cal (7-9, 2-7) with 21 points and perfect 5 for 5 shooting from distance. While UCLA stopped the Bears near the basket, they allowed Cal 10 made threes, seven of those in the first half. That alone kept the Bears in a game in which they were outrebounded 38-23 and wilted as the game progressed.

Cal’s defensive effort against the ranked Bruins was commendable, but even Fox admitted his team controlled tempo better than they defended, and leaving Bernard open for his late three was their biggest mistake.

“To beat a high-level opponent, you have to play a little more mistake-free than we did today,” Fox admitted.

Matt Bradley tested his injured ankle in pre-game warm-ups but was ruled out, missing his fifth straight game. That again left Cal scrambling for offense from other sources that couldn’t deliver. Fox pointed out that Bradley’s absence has affected guard Ryan Betley, who missed his first seven shots and finished 1 for 8 in 33 minutes of floor time.

“Were asking too much of Ryan, and I think he’s worn down,” Fox said.

The Bears are scheduled to host USC on Saturday but COVID issues within the Trojans program has put the game in question. The USC-Stanford game on Thursday was canceled.

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Cal’s 50 point second half difference maker in winning at Utah

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The Cal Bears Kuany Kuany is thrilled that Cal played some solid second half offense to come back and win over the Utah Utes in Salt Lake City Sat Jan 16, 2021 (AP News photo)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris:

#1 Morris how big was this for Cal (7-8) to get a win in Utah (5-6) 72-63 which had been a tough place to play for Cal in past years.

#2 In the first half Cal looked like they were going to go down again as the Utes took a 34-22 lead at half time.

#3 Cal was right back in it in the second half scoring 50 and holding the Utes to just 29 points.

#4 Talk about some of Cal’s high scorers Grant Anticevich is back leading the Bears with 14 points, Makale Forman followed up with 12 points, Jerod Hyder and Andre Kelly both scored 11 points.

#5 The UCLA Bruins (11-2) head to Haas Pavilion for Thu Jan 21st’s game. The Bruins defeated the Washington Huskies (1-11) on Saturday 81-76 completing their sixth straight win and Jules Bernard lead UCLA in scoring 20 points. How do you see this match up on Thursday.

Morris Phillips does the Cal Bears podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Bears catch fire after halftime, win at Utah 72-63

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By Morris Phillips

Without Matt Bradley, and after a lackluster first half, the Bears shocked Utah with a 50-point second half in their surprising 72-63 road win.

The Bears overcame a 15-point deficit and won for only the third time on an opponent’s home floor in the last three seasons. And they did it by sharing the ball, shooting from distance, and defending, three things they haven’t done well all season.

The Bears trailed 15-5 and 24-9 in the first half before exploding with 58 percent shooting after the break.

Grant Anticevich led the comeback with 10 of his 14 points durind a critical stretch that gave Cal a decisive advantage. All 10 came within three minutes in which Cal went from up two to leading 60-50 with 7:33 remaining.

“It was really uplifting for our entire team to see him make a few, and I think it took the pressure off of everybody,” said coach Mark Fox of Anticevich.

Utah got as close as down 69-63 with 2:04 remaining, but Cal held them scoreless the rest of the way. The Utes missed 11 of their 12 3-point attempts after the break while Cal buried six from distance, including consecutive threes from Anticevich.

Makale Foreman scored 12 points, Andre Kelly and Jarred Hyder had 11, and Ryan Betley nine in Cal’s balanced attack. Timmy Allen led Utah with a game-high 26.

The Cal women were also in Salt Lake City on Saturday awaiting their Sunday afternoon game against Utah when they announced that COVID issues within their team came to light in their most recent round of tests. The cancellation of their game created confusion that manifested itself with 20 text messages received by Coach Fox with people wondering if the men’s game had been postponed.

The Bears (7-8, 2-6) return home for a Thursday night meeting with first-place UCLA at 6pm.

 

 

Cal Bears podcast with Michael Duca: Cal buried in baskets by Colorado 89-60; Walker leads Buffaloes with 23 points

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The Colorado Buffaloes guard McKinley Wright  IV (25) drives in front of the Cal Bears guard Makale Forman (10) during Thu Jan 14, 2021’s game at CU Events Center (cubuffs.com photo)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Michael:

#1 Michael, looks from start to finish the Cal Bears (6-8) really had a struggle with the Colorado Buffaloes on Thursday in a 29 point loss 89-60.

#2 Michael talking about the first half of the game Cal head coach Mark Fox said Cal just couldn’t get any offense going taking a 34-23 score at halftime to the dressing room.

#3 The second half the Buffaloes really opened up things with a 55-37 commanding lead led by Colorado top scorer Jabari Walker with 23 points, which meant Cal pretty much was buried. Coach Fox had to be thinking when you get that far in a deficit it’s nearly impossible to come back.

#4 Michael, three players finished in double figures for Cal all in low scoring totals, Andre Kelly 16, Makale Forman 13, and Ryan Betley with 12 points.

#5 It’s off to Utah and the Utes for Cal on Saturday night. The Utes really had their way with the Stanford Cardinal on Thursday with a 79-65 win. The Utes had four scorers in double figures led by Timmy Allen finishing with 22 points.

Join Michael every Friday for the Cal Bears basketball podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal outclassed by Colorado in an 89-60 road loss

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By Morris Phillips

Early on, it appeared as if the Rocky Mountains and early tip times suited the Cal Bears just fine.

Andre Kelly set up shop near the basket and was enjoying a thriving business. Makale Foreman was Mr. Inside and Outside, and Jalen Celestine–in his most impactful minutes as a Bear to date–was making plays at both ends.

Three consecutive baskets by Foreman gave the Bears an 18-11 lead over host Colorado, who looked ill suited for the high noon start on a Thursday.

But that moment was as good as would get. Colorado coach Tad Boyle called a timeout, his Buffs responded with eight quick points to regain the lead, the Bears wobbled, and soon found themselves saddled with a 89-60 loss.

What transpired in that timeout? According to McKinley Wright IV, Colorado’s unquestioned leader and one of the best players in the Pac-12, Boyle implored his team to stop Foreman, who scored 10 of Cal’s first 18 points.

“We talked about it in the scouting report yesterday and talked about it today in pregame that when he is dribbling with his left hand he is a really good shooter,” Wright said of Foreman. “He made three in a row like that. Coach got on us about it and ever since then we didn’t look back.”

While the Buffs focused on the finer points of their scouting report, the Bears unraveled. Unable to buy a basket in a 23-2 Colorado run that closed the first half, then defensively as the Buffs scored 55 points in the second half, Cal was simply outclassed.

“We couldn’t get stops,” coach Mark Fox admitted. “Obviously, we’re disjointed offensively with the lineups we’re forced to play. That part is a little frustrating. But defensively, we just did not get the job done.”

Repeatedly, Colorado broke Cal utilizing a high screen that yielded clear paths to the basket, and plenty of time and space for spot up shooters.

Plenty of time.

Wright racked up 11 assists, breaking the school record for assists in a career in the process, and Colorado knocked down 12 3-pointers on 21 attempts. Their 59 percent shooting after halftime turned the game into a rout, with the Bears trailing by as many as 31 points.

The Bears again played without Matt Bradley, who joined his teammates on the trip, but missed his fifth, consecutive game. This time, Cal missed their leading scorer at both ends of the floor.

“He’s a physical presence defensively,” Fox said. “He’s a good rebounder. Obviously, he’s our leading scorer. Certainly we miss him.”

Four of Cal’s six conference losses have been by 11 points or more. Thursday’s 29-point margin was their worst outcome of the season.

Cal (6-8, 1-6) visits Utah on Saturday night. The Utes defeated Stanford 79-65 in a game that also got the Pac-12 matinee treatment.

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Bears finally get their first Pac 12 win; Face Colorado on Thursday night

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The Cal Bears offense was able to hold off the Washington Huskies eclipsing them with a six point win at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Sat Jan 9, 2021 (calbears.com photo)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris:

#1 Morris how relieving is it that Cal (6-7) finally got in the win column with defeat over the Washington Huskies (1-9) on Saturday?

#2 The Bears got a six point win over the Huskies 84-78 did the game appear to look a lot closer and was there any point in the game that the Bears had to be concerned about holding onto the lead.

#3 Matt Bradley is still out of the line up with an injury but Cal forward Andre Kelly has helped picking up the slack with leading the Bears in scoring on Saturday with 22.

#4 Grant Anticevich has made a return with four points and five assists. Talk about how he’s looked in his return and how those assists helped out.

#5 Can the Bears keep it going they head to Colorado (8-3) the Buffaloes are 3-0 at home and have won their last game beating a very tough Oregon Ducks  (9-2) team 79-72 last Thursday. The Buffaloes have a game tonight in Utah (4-4) before hosting Cal on Thu Jan 14th.

Join Morris for the Cal Bears podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips Mon Jan 11, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

 

Bears Breakthrough: Cal wins a Pac-12 clash, 84-78 over Washington

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Needing a Pac-12 victory in the worst way, the Bears didn’t squander the opportunity.

In a matchup of the conference’s bottom dwellers, the Bears looked like contenders in shooting their way past Washington, 84-78 at Haas Pavilion.

The Bears finished the game on a 9-3 run after it was tied at 75 a piece with 2:18 remaining. Throughout the Bears relied on their offense, shooting 55 percent from the floor while burying 11 3-pointers.

“Offensively we got the ball in the paint when we needed to in the first half,” coach Mark Fox said. “We made a bunch of threes in the second, and it ends up being a real good win.”

“We couldn’t get stops,” Huskies coach Mike Hopkins said. “We didn’t execute down the stretch what we wanted to do.”

The Huskies were picked ninth in the Pac-12 preseason poll, the Bears tenth. But UW’s top returner Nahziah Carter was suspended due to sexual impropriety allegations and subsequently withdrew from school. Cal has dealt with injuries, most significantly with leading scorer Matt Bradley missing his fourth game on Saturday. Both teams came in 0-5 in conference play with seven of the 10 combined losses by double digits.

With the speculation that one of the two teams could go winless in conference growing, both teams played with renewed vigor. But Cal’s offense lasted longer while the Huskies suffered too many lapses defensively.

“The three-point shot for certain players we allowed to happen,” Hopkins said. “And that’s the result you get when you don’t execute what you’re supposed to execute.”

While Andre Kelly was flawless in the paint, leading Cal with 22 points, the graduate connection of Ryan Betley and Makale Foreman took advantage from distance with eight combined made threes.

With that trio cooking from the opening tip, the Bears built an eight-point halftime lead that they expanded to 13 (45-32) with 18:01 remaining. While the Huskies may have little continuity and diminished confidence at this point, they dug deep and battled Cal for the remainder of the second half only to come up short.

Erik Stevenson scored 15 of his team-high 27 after the break with a huge assist from Jamal Bey, who had 18 with 11 of those after halftime. With those two leading the way, the Huskies–with some of the worst shooting numbers among any of the Power 5 schools–belied their statistics by shooting 52 percent from the floor.

But in the final 2:18 Cal took control. Joel Brown hit a 3-pointer to break the 75-75 tie, then on the next possession Brown cruised in for a layup. Between the two buckets by Brown, Betley came up with a huge blocked shot in the paint on UW’s Quade Green with Brown then grabbing the rebound. Leading 80-75, the Bears closed the door.

On tap next the Bears’ ski trip has them at Colorado on Wednesday and Utah on Saturday.

Cal Bears podcast with Michael Duca: Cal’s lack of Bradley in the line up fall short against WSU

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The Cal Bears couldn’t keep up with the Washington State Cougars in the second half of Thu Jan 7, 2021’s game at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley as Cal loses it’s seventh game of the season (image from @CalMBBall)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Michael:

#1 Michael Cal (5-7) had suffered it’s third straight loss and last night the latest to the Washington State Cougars (9-1) one of the winningest teams in the Pac 12.

#2 One player that Cal had a hard time shutting down was Cougars guard Issac Bonton who led with 21 points, he took advantage of having a hot hand and being able to take his shot.

#3 The Cougars had three players in double figures, Bonton, center Efe Abogidi who finished second with 12 points and guard Noah Williams with 11 points. The way the Cougars have been on offense even three players in double figures could spell doom.

#4 Cal badly misses Matt Bradley they also had three players in double figures but low double figures with Andre Kelly 11 points, Lars Thiemann and Ryan Betley both had ten points but trying to keep up with the Cougars proved too much in the second half as the Cougars were up by eight and won the game by nine.

#5 It’s a Saturday 12 noon lunch time special at Haas Pavilion this Saturday as the Cal Bears hope to turn the page on Thursday night’s loss as they meet the Washington Huskies (1-8) but they’re not in last place the Cal Bears who have won five games are 0-5 in the conference and are in last place in the Pac 12 standings.

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

Cal Bears podcast with Michael Duca Fri Jan 8, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud