Category: Cal Bears

Dog Days Are Over: Cal clips the Huskies to end 16-game losing streak

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, Calif. — Washington coach Mike Hopkins may have been the first to grasp what was transpiring when he called a pair of early timeouts to express his exasperation with the indifference his Huskies were displaying on defense.

Ultimately, Hopkins’ timeouts didn’t work.

The Cal Bears, off a favorable start, wavered briefly before halftime, only to recover and hand Pac-12 leading Washington a damaging 76-73 loss that will weigh heavily with the NCAA selection committee. Immediately, Cal’s win ends their 16-game losing streak that had outweighed any positives Wyking Jones’ team had gathered in a trying season.

“We knew we had it in us. We just had to find it,” said Connor Vanover. “It took awhile, but now I think moving forward we will have a clear head. If we can beat Washington, why not anyone else?”

Meanwhile, Washington found little consolation in winning the conference regular season title despite the loss when their closest pursuers, Oregon State and Arizona State, both loss on Thursday.

“We didn’t respect the game,” Crisp said. “We didn’t respect our opponent. We just expected we would come out and win the game. Obviously, you’re never going to win basketball games like that.”

The Bears bothered Washington early with a 2-3 zone that forced the Huskies into some careless turnovers, and quick, fruitless possessions. The Bears took the lead, 19-16, on Paris Austin’s 3-pointer with 11:57 remaining before halftime.

Any scenario seeing the Bears end their lengthy losing streak would have to involve an offensive explosion since the nation’s 313th-ranked defense was unlikely to make a difference at the Pac-12 level. And that formula played out as Darius McNeill,  Connor Vanover and Justice Sueing combined for 51 points, and the team shot 55 percent from the floor, and 53 percent from distance. The Bears shared the ball, solving Washington’s frequent use of a 2-3 zone.

“They kept their composure,” Jones said of his Bears’ poise down the stretch. “We turned it over a couple times, late, and they did as well, but the guys just continued to believe, more than anything. Connor continues to shine and kind of give us all a preview of how good he can be.”

And most importantly, the Huskies were limited, failing to produce a run that could create some separation on the scoreboard.

Instead, the Huskies blinked, scoring just four points in the final 5:03 of the game, allowing Cal to protect a paper-thin lead.

With Washington misfiring, the Bears got their final basket from Vanover with 3:26 remaining. Three made free throws broke the tie and gave Cal a lead they would protect.

The Huskies missed three shots in the final minute, including a good look from David Crisp at the buzzer. Crisp led all scorers with 32 points, but only 5 of those 32 came in the final 12 minutes of the game.

“We’ve done about everything wrong in the last couple games where we give up the lead within the last five minutes,” Sueing said. “Going into this game, we were used to having that close, intense matchup. We made it a thing to make sure we stayed together and fight until the end.”

“You got to play with passion and have a chip on our shoulder with every possession and we didn’t have that tonight,” Hopkins said. “We didn’t have basic principles. We were breaking down and you can’t do that with your foundation.”

Cal hosts Washington State on Saturday, their final home game before they close the regular season at Stanford on March 9.

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Cal can’t hold first half lead, still winless in the Pac-12

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Photo credit: @CalMBBall

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris:

#1 The Arizona State University Sun Devils (19-8) Luguentz Dort led with 22 points and the Cal Bears (5-22) lost by ten points 69-59 on Sunday to remain winless in conference play.

#2 Matt Bradley for Cal led with 23 points and ten rebounds. No matter what the score was or who won, Bradley put it all out there, offensively.

#3 The Bears held a first half lead 34-28 and there was some hope they very well would have a shot at winning this one, but in the second half, ASU scored big 41-25.

#4 Once again, in the postgame press conference, head coach Wyking Jones can’t put a finger on how to get this team turned around.

#5 Cal comes home to host the Washington Huskies (22-5) Thursday, Feb. 28th. The Huskies are a team on fire. Morris talks about Cal’s chances to try and get a win in conference play against UW.

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

Not On Senior Day, You Don’t: ASU survives upset bid from Cal in 69-59 win

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By Morris Phillips

With a squad as youthful as Bobby Hurley’s Sun Devils, success on Senior Day is only attainable if all hands are on deck.

Arizona State had something less than that in a first half in which they shot 26 percent and trailed the winless Golden Bears by six.

But their response after halftime was immediate. A 28-10 run put Arizona State in control, on their way to a 69-59 win at Wells Fargo Arena.

“Our approach was better. Our aggression was better without fouling,” Hurley said. “It looked like we were putting together consecutive determined possessions.”

“We have a history of (poor starts), especially against teams that we should supposedly be beating,” said point guard Remy Martin. “But on senior night with De’Quon and Zylan and the managers, we weren’t going to let that happen.”

The Sun Devils’ two seniors, De’Quon Lake and Zylan Cheatham, did their part, combining for 16 points and 16 rebounds. But ASU usually gets its offense from younger sources like Rob Edwards who came up with 14 of his 16 points after the break. Freshman Luguentz Dort led the Sun Devils with 22 points.

Arizona State improved to 19-8, 10-5, and moved into sole possession of second place in the Pac-12 by sweeping their final, two home games against the Bay Area schools. They play their final three games heading into the conference tournament on the road.

Cal gained a measure of respect by being ready to play from the start and executing a defensive gameplan that gave ASU fits early. But the Bears shot just 33 percent after the break, and never got anything easy with just two fast break points, and eight second-chance points.

The Bears lost for the 16th consecutive time, and now only have three opportunities to avoid a winless, Pac-12 conference season. The Bears host first place Washington on Thursday, and close out with Washington State at home and Stanford on the road.

Struggling Arizona experiences few issues with defenseless Cal

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By Morris Phillips

The struggling Arizona Wildcats hadn’t won a game in three weeks, but those issues didn’t persist with the Cal Bears visiting McKale Center Thursday night.

The Bears shooting percentage defense ranks just above the bottom of the spectrum in 353-member Division I basketball, which brings into question whether a team playing defense on par with Elon or Houston Baptist can stop a traditional powerhouse like Arizona, even if they’re going through one of their roughest stretches with seven, consecutive losses.

Well, based on what transpired between the Bears and Wildcats, the answer is no. Arizona started slow, missing it share of shots in what was an ugly game offensively, but an 11-0 run early in the second half propelled them to an easy 76-51 victory.

So while Arizona’s offense struggled, it wasn’t to the degree that Cal’s offense did, as 30 percent shooting made it impossible for the Bears to gain traction on Thursday. The Bears missed 20 of their 26 3-point attempts, and appeared to labor with each miss creating additional pressure on the visitors.

“Guys want to make plays and they want to get back into the win column so bad that we’re not allowing ourselves to slow down and make the right play,” coach Wyking Jones said of his anxious Bears.

Cal lost for the 15th consecutive time, a streak that includes a second, 20-point loss to Arizona at home on January 12. The Bears are assured the bottom seed in the upcoming Pac-12 conference tournament in Las Vegas, and an opening round matchup with the 5-seed, a position currently held by 14-win Utah.

The Bears were led by Justice Sueing’s 16 points and Paris Austin’s 12 points, the only two Cal players to score in double figures.

Cal’s Arizona swing concludes on Sunday in Tempe with a meeting with the Arizona State Sun Devils.

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Cal heads to ASU in hopes to pick up their first Pac-12 win of the season Wednesday

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Photo credit: @CalMBBall

On the Cal Bears basketball podcast with Morris:

#1 The Cal Bears (5-20) head into Wednesday night’s game to face the ASU Sun Devils (17-8). The Bears are winless in the Pac-12, could they go winless for the rest of the way at this rate?

#2 The Bears’ big highlight in their 89-66 loss to the USC Trojans (14-12) on Saturday night was a three-pointer from Jacob Orender in the closing minutes of the game.

#3 The Trojans’ Benny Boatwright made himself at home with 36 points and 10 assists. With Boatwright, was it a matter trying to contain everyone or was Boatwright USC’s go to guy all night long?

#4 Bears head coach Wyking Jones said that the defensive woes carried into the offensive woes. How so?

#5 It’s off to Arizona State University for a Wednesday night tip with the Sun Devils. What are the Bears’ odds to get their first win this season in this one?

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

USC, Boatwright take control early, Trojans rout the Bears 89-66

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–The Golden Bear highlight of the evening? Jacob Orender’s 3-pointer in the game’s final minutes.

For Cal, that’s not good.

The Bears started lethargically, likely in deference to the effort they expended in an overtime loss to UCLA on Wednesday, and were routed by the USC Trojans on Saturday evening, 89-66.

Benny Boatwright made himself at home on the road with a career-best 10 made threes and 36 points to lead USC. Boatwright started early with 11 points in the Trojans’ 19-9 start that put Cal in an early hole less than seven minutes in.

“We took a step back after taking steps in the right direction,” Cal coach Wyking Jones admitted. “We just have to get back to it and get back on track, because we’re in a funk right now. The defensive woes carried into the offense and we couldn’t find rhythm there. It’s a lot easier to play defense when you are hitting shots.”

The Bears squandered an opportunity to end their lengthy losing streak while at home at Haas Pavilion. The Bears (5-20, 0-13) have dropped 14 straight, and are still looking for their first win in Pac-12 play.

Meanwhile, the Trojans bounced back from a frustrating loss at Stanford on Wednesday, and remained on track for a top-four finish in the conference that would secure a first-round bye in the conference tournament.

The Trojans won for only the second time on the road in conference play, but did it with ease, leading by as much as 19 in the first half, and 31 mid-way through the second half. But the rout wasn’t the story, Boatwright’s hot shooting was.

The 6’10” senior tied the school-record nine threes with 13:32 remaining, and was taken out of the game soon after with USC clearly in command. But coach Andy Enfield put Boatwright inserted Boatwright back in the game and he broke the record held by Katin Reinhardt and Anthony Pendleton with 4:05 remaining.

An earlier possession saw Boatwright pass up an open look, which prompted a reaction from Enfield.

“I caught it and I didn’t shoot it, and Enfield was like,`Shoot it,” he said. “I was like,`You’re telling me to shoot it? OK, you don’t gotta tell me twice.'”

The Bears’ defense was porous once again, allowing the Trojans numerous open looks from the perimeter and 53 percent shooting overall. Cal enjoyed a healthy 30-18 advantage in points in the paint, but it mattered little with USC converting 19 3-pointers.

The Bears have now suffered consecutive 20-loss seasons for the first time in school history. They travel to Arizona this week in hopes of snapping their losing skid.

Running Out Of Gas: UCLA hangs around then stuns Cal in OT, 75-67

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, Calif. — Typically, the Cal Bears can’t seem to stop anyone from scoring. On Wednesday, their issues were with scoring themselves.

From a competitive standpoint, the change put the Bears in a more esteemed place by leaps and bounds than they’ve been during a lengthy, 12-game losing streak. But ultimately, losing in overtime didn’t feel much better.

Matt Bradley hit a game-tying 3-pointer with 27 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime, but the Bears went the first three-and-a-half minutes of the extra period scoreless in a 75-67 loss to UCLA.

“We just could not score tonight. That’s the biggest team in the league. When you’re playing against a team with that length, it’s tough,” Bears coach Wyking Jones said.

The Bruins’ struggles shooting the basketball in the first half helped Cal mask their own issues. UCLA fell behind 11-2 in the early minutes prompting interim coach Murry Bartow to bench all five of his starters briefly. The Bruins’ misfires continued throughout the half in which they shot just 28 percent and made eight baskets.

But ultimately, Cal couldn’t maintain their nine-point lead at the break as UCLA took their first lead, 44-43, on Chris Smith’s jumper with 11:05 remaining.

Darius McNeill led Cal with 18 points, and his pair of 3-pointers helped Cal stay in the game, down 52-51 with 8:52 remaining. Grant Anticevich’s free throw line jump shot pulled the Bears even, 55-55 with 4:56 left.

Bradley then scored the Bears’ final seven points, including the three to even the score in the final 30 seconds.

“We got good things when we got to the high post but it was difficult to get it there,” Jones aid. “The guys don’t want to turn it over and that team is the biggest team in the league, so when you’re playing team with that much length it’s tough to get the ball to the high post.”

Overtime brought a different list of issues for Cal as they sandwiched three misses from distance around a pair of turnovers before scoring for the first time in overtime (and the last time in the game) with 1:34 remaining.

The Bears would go 1 for 7 shooting in overtime, along with a couple of free throw misses from Connor Vanover, and lose meekly. Still, the Bears competed with a team that beat them by 15 points at Westwood on January 5.

“We’re getting better,” McNeill said. “People may not see it but we’re in every game that we lose in the first half, and in the second half we just come out flat and don’t really get back together. But we’re getting better every game and we just have to stay focused for the whole game.”

Cal gets a second opportunity to topple the Trojans on Saturday. Game time is 2:30 pm at Haas Pavilion.

Bears Squander Another Opportunity, Fall to UCLA 75-67 in Overtime

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Photo credit: @CalMBBall

By: Michael Duca

BERKELEY, Calif. — The second time was not the charm.

Cal opened its Pac-12 season against a UCLA team in disarray, with Interim Coach Murry Bartow coaching his first game after a mid-season change. The Bruins broke form and blew out Cal at Pauley. Wednesday night, the Bears got their shot at the Bruins at home, immediately after what should have been a soul-crushing loss to Utah Sunday afternoon.

It was not meant to be.

One of the worst free-throw shooting teams in the nation (62%), the UCLA Bruins rode 9-of-10 shooting from the charity stripe to a 75-67 overtime victory at Haas Pavilion. Led by Kris Wilkes 27 points, the Bruins, who did not lead until 11:04 remained in regulation, caught fire late from behind the arc to steal a sloppy game from Cal, which is still seeking its first conference win (0-12, 5-18). UCLA started the game shooting 3-of-16 from behind the arc, but finished hitting 7 of their final 16 treys, including back-to-back shots from the left corner in a 30-second span in the final 90 seconds of regulation. Those three-balls pulled the Bruins from a 59-55 hole inside 2:00.

Cal, which held a nine point advantage at the half, fell to 3-3 in games with a lead at the intermission. The Bruins played a sloppy game, with 13 turnovers in the first half (and only 4 assists). Those turnovers led to a 15-4 lead in points off turns for Cal, but they just could not hold it in the second half once the Bruins started to hit from outside.

Wilkes 16 points after intermission overshadowed a nice evening for Darius McNeil, who flashed his speed time after time in racking up a team-high 18 points, including four treys, but McNeil also committed a pair of thoroughly unnecessary fouls that gave the Bruins life.  The taller Bruins owned the boards, with a 50-36 edge that included 17 offensive rebounds and 13 second-chance points.

Down 9 with 14:00 left in regulation, David Singleton hit three consecutive three-balls for the Bruins to close the game to 43-42 at 12:18.

Matt Bradley had a rollercoaster night, missing his first eight shots but draining a three to send the game to overtime.

Cal’s frustration will only increase when they watch film – they have suffered mightily in conference play from poor defense, but they held UCLA (averaging 80 points/game) to under 40% shooting on the night, but could barely exceed hitting one-third of their own shots (23-of-68).

Justice Sueing had a solid game with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting, adding a team-leading 7 rebounds and 3 assists. Conor Vanover is beginning to show flashes of adapting to the speed of the college game, finishing with 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting, plus 6 rebounds and a pair of blocks (plus countless other shots altered), and a pair of plays where he created held balls that gave Cal possession.

It remains to be seen whether Cal will break through and avoid a winless conference season, but it is clear from watching this team that they have not given up on the season – they competed hard for 45 minutes, but just didn’t have the offense to put the game away in regulation.

Next up for Cal are the USC Trojans, Saturday afternoon at 5 pm.

Coaches On The Floor: OSU too smart in crunch time for winless Cal

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By Morris Phillips

Ethan Thompson may be just a sophomore in accordance with his NCAA status, but on Saturday afternoon with the game on the line, the wily point guard was Oregon State’s professor emeritus.

With OSU clinging to a 73-71 lead with less than two minutes remaining, Thompson drove on Cal’s Darius McNeill and drew a foul. The two made free throws increased the Beavers’ lead to four. After Cal’s Matt Bradley missed a three, OSU’s Kylor Kelley rebounded his own miss and scored to give the Beavers an insurmountable six-point lead.

Seconds later, Thompson capped the scoring with two more free throws. In all, the son of OSU assistant coach Stevie Thompson scored eight of Oregon State’s final 13 points.

“We put the ball in his hands primarily this year,” head coach Wayne Tinkle said of Thompson. “We know that he can erupt and score for us when we need it. He’s a great playmaker because he’s got great vision.”

The coach-player connection drove OSU on Saturday, less than 48 hours after OSU was embarrassed in 23-point, home loss to Stanford. Tres Tinkle, the head coach’s son, along with Thompson and his older brother, Stevie Jr. combined for 60 of OSU’s 79 points.

The juxtaposition of OSU’s lineage and experience against Cal’s inexperience didn’t play well for the Bears. Cal allowed 54 percent shooting to OSU, along with committing too many fouls (the Beavers converted 23 of 28 from the stripe set up by 22 Cal fouls) which negated a pretty good shooting afternoon for Cal (49 percent).

The Bears lost for the 12th consecutive time, and are closing in on an unprecedented, second straight 20-loss season. Still, coach Wyking Jones was quick to acknowledge his team’s effort.

“I thought our guys fought, scrapped, clawed, left it all out on the court and played really, really hard and played together,” Jones said.

Cal had several bright spots offensively including McNeill, who scored 14 of his 16 points before halftime. Justice Sueing put up 14 of his 16 after the half, and Connor Vanover had 15 in a career-high 30 minutes on the floor.

Vanover especially is emerging as a factor for the Bears at both ends.

“He’s always been very good offensively. Now he’s starting to figure it out and do some things defensively that are really helping us, changing shots, blocking shots. He was a bright spot today,” Jones said.

The Bears have a short turnaround, facing UCLA on Wednesday night in Berkeley. The Bears are hopeful they’re catching the Bruins at the right time as UCLA was beaten by a Utah 3-pointer at the final buzzer after they blew a 20-point lead in the game’s final six minutes on Saturday.

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips and Michael Duca: The effort was there, but Cal remains winless in the Pac-12

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Photo credit: @CalMBBall

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris and Michael:

The Cal Bears (5-18) didn’t leave neither the States of Oregon or Washington in a state of grace. The Bears remain winless in the Pac-12. There were some things in the game against the Oregon State Beavers (18-5) to be pleased about on Saturday night’s 79-71 loss.

Cal lost by eight and they were only down and were in striking distance and in fact were in range to take the lead inside two minutes of this game. It was the Beavers 73-71 with just over a minute remaining. Cal was down by two, but they didn’t score again.

Morris and Michael do the Cal Bears basketball podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com