Category: Cal Bears

Bears’ offense absent for long stretches in 71-52 loss at Santa Clara

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By Morris Phillips

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Cal coach Mark Fox shook up his lineup on Saturday at Santa Clara in response to his team’s sluggish defensive effort at USF where they fell 76-64.

Then Fox watched his team’s offense wander off in a 71-52 loss to the Broncos at the Leavey Center.

Defensively, the only discernible difference was its credibility for the first 10 minutes with Paris Austin and Andre Kelly starting in place of Joel Brown and Lars Thiemann.

In the final 30 minutes, with their shots not falling, the defense waned. Leading scorer Matt Bradley lost his cool and drew a technical in the second half, and the Bears fell for a fourth time in five games, with all the losses away from Berkeley, and by double-digits.

“I felt like the frustration of the ball not going in the basket contributed maybe to our play on the other end,” Fox said. “I don’t think our defense was anywhere good enough the entire night.”

Guglielmo Caruso paced Santa Clara with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Three other Broncos scored in double figures including DJ Mitchell, the transfer from Wake Forest, who put up 13 off the bench.

The Broncos rode two, motivational factors for the win: they were embarrassed last year in a 78-66 loss to Cal at Haas Pavilion. And they saw their 9-1 record blemished on Wednesday in a 31-point loss to Nevada in Reno.

“We were really young,” Caruso said of the loss to Cal. “That experience from last year translated into this year and helped us to get this W.”

Playing in their backyard at the facilities of their mid-major neighbors gives Cal a badge of good will, but they know they have to be ready to play. Only their accurate free throw shooting (21 of 26) carried them on Saturday. Missing 35 of their 49 shots from the field did not. That poor marksmanship included only five made baskets in the first half.

Bradley led Cal with 14 points, Kareem South and Grant Anticevich added nine each. The Bears managed 10 steals, contributing to 20 SCU turnovers, but creating havoc didn’t morph into creating baskets.

The Bears now turn their attention to a date with Fresno State in Berkeley on Wednesday. The Bulldogs from the Mountain West acquitted themselves nicely Saturday by leading for long stretches at No. 25 Utah State before succumbing 77-70 in overtime.

Cal Bears basketball podcast with Michael Duca: After first half, Dons stayed well enough ahead of Cal

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Photo credit: @Donald_E_Heller

On the Cal Bears basketball podcast with Michael:

#1 The Cal Bears (5-3) were unceremoniously dumped at USF as the Dons whipped the Bears by 12, 76-64.

#2 The Dons improved their record to 8-2. This has been an up and coming program and the Golden Bears certainly had an idea of what they were getting into.

#3 The Bears had a better first half. Although they trailed the Dons 34-32, and in the second half, it was all Dons 42-32.

#4 Cal had only two players in double figures: Kareem South with 20 and Matt Bradley with 11.

#5 The Bears are still holding their own. This is their third loss out of their last eight games.

Cal Bears podcast with Michael Duca is heard each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal’s trip to USF results in a 76-64 defeat and a Bay Area basketball history lesson

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO — Kevin Johnson and his sidekick, Dave Butler didn’t win at USF. They came to the Hilltop as seniors in December 1986 and suffered an agonizing, two-point loss that had Lou Campanelli seething.

Geno Carlisle, Sean Marks, Sean Lampley and Francisco (Cisco) Elson made the trip across the Bay as a formidable quartet in 1997. They lost to the Dons by double-digits.

And on Wednesday, Matt Bradley, Paris Austin, hustling Andre Kelly and the rest of the 2019 Bears couldn’t get past an impressive USF squad either. Their defense was way too spotty in a 76-64 defeat that had coach Mark Fox reinforcing important lessons afterwards to his young squad.

The unifying theme for Cal across a 34-year stretch of a memorable, Bay Area basketball rivalry?

Stay engaged, things could turn around before this season ends.

The ’86-87 Bears won at powerhouse Arizona late in that season, and went on to the NIT. The ’97-98 Bears almost knocked off Top Ten opponents Arizona and Stanford after losing to USF, and survived a season orphaned from the renovated Haas Pavilion at 12-15, good enough for fifth in Pac-10.

The next season, Carlisle, Lampley and Elson returned and led Cal to a 22-win season and an NIT Championship.

This season’s Bears probably aren’t headed to the NIT, or even an upper-half finish in the Pac-12, but the potential for them to improve is immense. The blunt Fox has the first–and last–words on his team’s ascendancy process.

“I thought it was poor,” Fox said, when asked if he thought the Bears’ defense against USF was inconsistent. “We finished the first half with about 10 minutes of good defense and that was about all that we played. Because in the second half our defense was nowhere near to the level it needs to be to beat a good basketball team.”

The Bears suffered the slow, offensive start they could not afford, falling behind 16-4 nine minutes in while missing their first, seven shot attempts. But as Fox noted, the Bears defense steadied at that point, and the offense made an appearance. That allowed Cal to climb within 32-29 at the break.

While USF and Cal are both starting over with first-year coaches, the Dons hold a sizeable edge in continuity and experience with former assistant Todd Golden assuming head coaching duties from the departed Kyle Smith, who took the Washington State job. Veteran leadership from seniors Jimbo Lull, Jordan Ratinho and junior Charles Mindlend sets the Dons apart from Cal as well. Winning easily at Haas Pavilion last season (79-60) provided USF the confidence they needed to impose their will on the Bears on Wednesday.

All of those factors surfaced to start the second half, as USF seized control.

Jamaree Bouyea canned a 3-pointer to increase the Dons lead to 12, 55-43 with 12:05 remaining. In that opening stretch of the half, the Bears were slow to get to USF shooters while Lull started to impose his will in the paint, with inexperienced Lars Thiemann as his primary defender.

Lull led USF with 20 points, eight rebounds. Golden lit up when talking about the 7’0″ center’s improvement over his time with USF.

“Where he’s really grown is he’s done a phenomenal job managing the double team. Everybody we faced to this point in the season at some point in the game has run a double team at him, and they’re running it from the baseline, they’re running it from the nail, and after that first couple of possessions where he was a little out of sorts, he did a phenomenal job handling it the rest of the night. It either led to points for him or kickout threes for other guys.”

“We were okay with him getting two point shots,” Fox said of Lull, also referencing the damage inflicted by the big man’s ability to facilitate offense for his teammates.

The Dons would lead by as much as 16 points twice in the second half. The Bears did some nice things offensively during the stretch, but also committed some damaging turnovers. On both ends of the floor, they failed to find any consistency.

“We’re learning how to compete,” Fox said.

The Bears (5-3) were led by Kareem South with 20 points. Matt Bradley added 11, but only two of those came in the game’s final 30 minutes. Freshman starter Joel Brown had an especially rough night directing the offense. His gaffes landed him on the bench for stretches.

Cal played for the first time this season in a true road game, and had to recover to reach 42 percent shooting from the field. They acquitted themselves well at the free throw line making 18 of 25, but missed 10 of their 14 3-point attempts. The Dons made 12 threes, and showed little fatigue despite suffering a four-point loss to Arizona State just 24 hours earlier.

“You just have to bring it,” South said. “That’s the mentality you have to have on the road.”

The Bears continue their Bay Area tour with a visit to Santa Clara on Saturday at 2 pm.

Headline Sports with Barbara Mason: Warriors drop their third straight 104-79; Raiders at their lowest point; plus more

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Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

On Headline Sports with Barbara:

#1 The Atlanta Hawks handled the Golden State Warriors 104-79 loss Eric Paschall lead all Warriors scorers with 24 points on Monday night. The Warriors’ Draymond Green didn’t play.

#2 Have the Oakland Raiders sank to their lowest point of the season losing huge to the Kansas Chiefs 40-9 on Sunday for their second straight loss?

#3 The San Francisco 49ers saw Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker kick a winning field goal to end the game Sunday in 20-17 loss for San Francisco.

#4 Last Saturday, the Sacramento Kings came back from a long four city road trip going 1-3. On Saturday they defeated the Denver Nuggets 100-97. The Kings lost to the Chicago Bulls on Monday night 113-106.

#5 The Cal Bears insured themselves a bowl spot after their victory over the UCLA Bruins 28-18. Cal quarterback Chase Garbers went 17-29 for 230 yards.

Headline Sports can be heard with Barbara each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Cal gets touchdown in each quarter to defeat UCLA 28-18

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photo from sfgate.com: California tight end Gavin Reinwald, right, makes a catch as UCLA defensive back Darnay Holmes defends during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019, in Pasadena, Calif.

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris:

#1 A huge way to close the 2019 season with a win on the road at UCLA as the Cal Bears defeat the UCLA Bruins 28-18.

#2 Cal quarterback Chase Garbers threw 17 times out of 29 attempts for 230 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.

#3 Cal head coach Justin Wilcox says the defense was a huge factor in keeping the Bruins in check.

#4 Also coach Wilcox said it was a great win for the Bears saying it’s tough to win in the Pac-12 and he’s proud the Bears found a way to win.

#5 What will be some of coach Wilcox’s plans for the Bears in the bowl game?

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

Cal Dumps UCLA 28-18, awaits their bowl destination with a seventh win

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By Morris Phillips

With a record-number of bowl eligible teams populating the FBS, Cal needed to go one step further to insure they will have one of the coveted 78 spots.

So beating UCLA in their regular season finale wasn’t icing on the cake, it was essential.

After spotting the Bruins a 7-0, first quarter lead, the Bears shut the door, methodically wearing down UCLA in a 28-18 victory. The Bears finish with a 7-5 regular-season record for the second, consecutive winning season, an achievement they haven’t had since 2009.

“Getting seven wins–be in position to win a bowl game–and have a chance to play somebody really good at a great location is really exciting,” said coach Justin Wilcox.

The Bears once again dealt with the scheduling oddity of finishing their season against someone other than Stanford. After winning the Big Game in dramatic fashion last Saturday–breaking a nine-game losing streak to the Cardinal–the Bears looked focused, and ready to play, no easy feat given the circumstances playing on the road on the holiday weekend.

The game time temperature was decidedly un-Southern California like 49 degrees, and drizzle was present throughout. With UCLA suffering through a fourth, consecutive losing season, the attendance suffered with fewer than 40,000 fans in the cavernous Rose Bowl.

“I think we came out and imposed our will on them. We had that mindset during practice all week,” said Chase Garbers, who made a second straight start after missing the previous four games with a shoulder injury. Garbers overcame a slow start, completing 17 of 29 passes for 230 yards and one touchdown. His one-yard run in the second quarter gave the Bears a 14-7 lead they would not relinquish.

Christopher Brown Jr. ran for 111 yards and two scores, putting the starting back over 100 yards for the first time since the season opener against UC Davis. Brown’s second score, a 10-yard run, put the game away with 2:33 remaining and Cal clinging to a 3-point lead at that juncture.

Record-setting linebacker Evan Weaver lead a Cal defense that shut down the Bruins, registering six sacks, and limiting UCLA to 58 yards rushing on 35 attempts. Weaver had nine solo tackles, allowing him to pass Cal great Hardy Nickerson as the all-time, season-leader in tackles with 173.

UCLA’s Dorian Thompson-Robinson kept his team in it by completing 23 of 39 passes for 271 yards, but five sacks took their toll. Thompson-Robinson failed to finish the game, getting knocked out in the fourth quarter, one week after he was unable to finish the game against USC.

The Bears (7-5, 4-5) will wait until December 8, after the completion of the conference championship games, to find out their bowl destination. Their likely landing spots are the Cheez-It Bowl at Chase Field in Phoenix, or the Redbox Bowl at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.

Cal beats UC Davis 72-66 to end their two-game slide

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, Calif. — The growth process for any college basketball team revolves around dealing with prosperity or handling adversity.

But it’s rare that a team experiences both in the same ballgame. While facing UC Davis on Tuesday, the Cal Bears dealt with the extremes.

In a narrow 72-66 victory over the Aggies, the Bears shot the lights out in establishing an 18-point, first half lead only to go cold in the second half allowing UC Davis to briefly take the lead.

Coach Mark Fox took a philosophical approach to his team’s topsy turvy evening, by pointing to the Bears’ determined finish, allowing them to hold off the Aggies in the final minutes.

“I’m glad the game got to that point because it was important for us to play in a close game,” Fox said. “We got more out of the finish of that game than we would have if we had kept a double-figure lead the whole time.”

Fox is the lesson learning business these days in trying to get his young Bears to gather enough moxie to escape the Pac-12’s cellar after finishing last the previous two seasons. With the season seven games old, those lessons are coming quickly.

In the last seven days, Cal’s been buried by No. 1 Duke, outclassed by a physical Texas team, then pushed by the pesky Aggies.

Fifth-year senior Paris Austin knows the deal. With the score tied 54-54 with 5:33 remaining, Austin locked in. His seven points down the stretch helped Cal put UC Davis away.

“It’s about us as players needing to lock in,” Austin said. “In any game, there are times when other teams make runs and people can get discouraged; we just need to stay together, stay motivated, and play through it.”

Matt Bradley led Cal with 19 points, as he did most of his damage in the first half. Grant Anticevich contributed 14 points, and Kareem South added 13.

Ezra’s Manjon had 21 points for UC Davis, and Stefan Gonzales added 15, on five 3-pointers. Leading scorer Matt Neufeld missed seven of his 10 shot attempts and only grabbed two rebounds.

“Guys made plays, played with confidence and played within our system,” coach Jim Les said of  his Aggies. “When we took the fight to them, good things happened.”

The Bears are off until next week for Thanksgiving. They’ll face USF in a rare, Bay Area road game on December 4.

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: It’s a Big Deal as Cal wins Big Game 24-20

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photo from sfgate.com: California quarterback Chase Garbers (7) passes against Stanford during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019 in Stanford, Calif.

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris:

#1 The Cal Bears (6-5) improved their record with their sixth win of the season defeating Big Game rival Stanford (4-7) 24-20 at Stanford Stadium on Saturday. Prior to the game, Cal had lost five of their last six games.

#2 What was key for Cal to stay focused and win the game?

#3 Chase Garbers, the Cal quarterback, ran on a keeper with 1:19 remaining in the game in the fourth quarter scored the winning touchdown.

#4 How tough is it for a team like Cal to go to Stanford and win a game in their place?

#5 Cal heads to UCLA (4-7) next Saturday. Can Chase Garbers and the Bears turn the corner on the Bruins?

Catch the Cal Bears podcasts each Saturday with Morris at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Return Of The Axe: Garbers, Cal responds late to capture the 122th Big Game, 24-20

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By Morris Phillips

STANFORD — Chase Garbers began the week as a question mark, unable to practice, and an unlikely participant in the Big Game against Stanford.

He ended the week, standing tall in the end zone after scrambling 17 yards for the winning score as Cal shocked Stanford, 24-20, with two touchdowns in the game’s final eight minutes.

“To make some of the throws that he made on the last drive and then the scramble for the touchdown, those are huge plays,” coach Justin Wilcox said of Garbers. “And I think people are going to be talking about that drive for a while.”

With Cal facing the possibility of a tenth consecutive loss to their Bay Area rival, Garbers and receiver Nikko Remigio stepped up, firmly planting their names on the face of the rivalry. Garbers started the day tentatively, throwing instead of taking an opportunity to run for a first down in the second period. He finished the Big Game as a duel threat, throwing for 285 yards, and running 13 times for 72 yards as well.

Remigio finished with nine catches for career-best 157 yards. With 7:44 remaining, and Stanford leading 17-10 while holding Cal scoreless in the second half to that point, Remigio broke free in front of the goal post and caught a 17-yard, game-tying touchdown from Garbers. Then on Garbers game-winning touchdown, Remigio’s block on Stanford safety Jonathan McGill near the goal line created space for the quarterback to score.

Ironically, Remigio had a pair of second quarter drops against USC the previous week that helped the Trojans break open a close game and go on to a 41-17 victory over Cal. On Saturday, Remigio had the best game of his career.

“Nikko did a great job,” Garbers said. “He was missing a couple of games due to injury, but he played one of his best games I’ve ever seen him play today. And awesome to have a wideout like him who is so versatile.”

Stanford’s Davis Mills played well enough to be the game’s hero, by completing 26 of 35 passes for 283 yards in place of the Cardinal’s injured K.J. Costello. But two interceptions in the third quarter hurt Mills’ effort, including the first career interception by Cal’s Daniel Scott.

Both teams came into the game with numerous injuries, and Stanford reportedly played with 25 players unavailable. But the game was competitive throughout, and well played, with Davis’ interceptions the only turnovers for either team. Both teams avoided penalties as well, committing just four each.

The win gave the Bears (6-5, 3-5) bowl eligibility for the second, consecutive year with one game remaining next weekend at UCLA. The loss insures that Stanford will finish with a losing record for the first time in 10 years. The Cardinal had made bowl appearances in each of those 10 seasons.

Stanford completes their season with a home game against No. 16 Notre Dame next weekend.

Cal fans stormed the field after the game surrounding the Axe–the game’s signature prize–as well as enthusiastically greeting the players. Evan Weaver, Cal’s record-breaking linebacker, was congratulated by his father, and Remigio got emotional when meeting his family.

“I was sitting there crying like a baby,” Remigio said. “It was an indescribable experience.”

Garbers also had the chaotic scene create an indelible memory for him as well.

“I saw a bunch of people rushing the field and a lot of people jumping. I was trying not to get knocked over. But it was awesome to see the Cal fans get up on the field and celebrate with us because it really means a lot to them and us,” Garbers said.

Cold in New York: Bears score season-low in 62-45 loss to No. 22 Texas

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By Morris Phillips

Being a work in progress isn’t necessarily pretty. It wasn’t for the Bears in their two cold-shooting performances at Madison Square Garden.

Cal fell to No. 22 Texas in the 2K Empire Classic consolation game 62-45 on Friday, while shooting 36 percent from the field. The 45 points and their shooting percentage were season lows.

Coach Mark Fox’s premonition to have his club forgo perimeter shots given their opponent and their compressed schedule was smart thinking. But it didn’t benefit Cal, they cut down on the attempts, but still missed seven of the eight 3-pointers they took.

“It’s our fourth game in eight days, our second game in under 24 hours,” Fox said. “I didn’t feel like today would be a good 3-point shooting day for either team. I think we anticipated it would probably be a game where 3s are hard to come by.”

Shaka Smart’s Longhorns had a part in Cal’s cold shooting. One night after allowing Georgetown 45 points after halftime–and being outscored by 21 points–Texas made defense a point of emphasis. The bigger, more experienced Longhorns weren’t necessarily disruptive, blocking three shots and creating three steals, but they gave Cal fits by simply contesting shots and rebounding the misses.

“Today we responded from that loss last night,” said Texas forward Jericho Sims, who was one of four Longhorns’ starters to score in double figures. “I learned that we’re a gritty team and we just got to keep the strong identity.”

Texas certainly didn’t take control by making shots, as their 41 percent shooting wasn’t much better than the Bears. But they seized control with the outcome in doubt, starting the second half on an 18-9 run that stretched their lead to 13 points with 12:38 remaining. Seven different Longhorns had baskets in the run, as the Longhorns did a better job than Cal of sharing the basketball. Texas finished with 19 assists on 26 made baskets.

For Cal, the trip to New York to face top-ranked Duke and Texas was a reality check after their 4-0 start against lesser competition. Defensively, they were engaged, but did little offensively. Matt Bradley led the Bears with 22 points on Friday, and he registered as the only Cal scorer in double figures in either game, which shows were Cal needs to improve.

“We’ll use it hopefully as a great lesson in how we have to grow and change and improve. If we use it the right way, this weekend can be very productive for us,” Fox said.

Cal resumes its schedule on Tuesday when UC Davis visits Haas Pavilion.