Category: Cal Bears

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Cal gets back in win column with 72-63 win over Boston College; Onyiah leads with 21 points for Bears

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Cal Bears center Ugonne Onyiah (0) attempts to block a shot against the Boston College Eagles at Haas Pavilion on Thu Feb 13, 2025 (Cal Bears X photo)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips:

#1 Cal head coach Charmin Smith picked up her first 20 game win that improved Cal’s record to 20-6 for the season it was exciting for coach Smith to pick up the win but also for the players to help get that win.

#2 The Cal starting five played some potent basketball against the Boston College Eagles for a 72-63 win at Haas Pavilion on Thursday night.

#3 Top scorer for Thursday night for Cal Michelle Onyiah with 21 points she is one of the most improved players at Cal.

#4 Cal’s defense in the second quarter was impressive holding the Eagles to just ten points but the Eagles had a break out fourth quarter scoring 22 points to Cal’s 21 none the less it wasn’t enough as the Bears win it by nine points.

#5 Cal could win another one as they take on the Syracuse Orange on Sun Feb 16th for a 3:00pm tip off at Haas Pavilion. Syracuse is 10-14 and are 13th in the ACC. How do you see this one this coming Sunday?

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

Cal Women Beat Visiting Boston College, Coach Smith Wins 20th Game For The First Time

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–A first time 20th win of a season for Coach Charmin Smith is a moment of celebration. Keeping star post player Michelle Onyiah on the floor, and out of foul trouble, is just the opposite, a point of frustration.

Taking the good with the bad is just part of the job, and on a night that Onyiah put up 21 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out in Cal’s 73-62 victory, Smith will undoubtedly take it.

The Cal women rebounded from a rough weekend in the ACC Midwest outposts of Louisville and Notre Dame in which two losses knocked them from the AP Top 25. The Bears settled into their season’s finishing stretch with a nice win against decidedly lesser competition, but one they desperately needed.

The Bears built a 42-25 lead midway through the third quarter, then saw the visiting Eagles start to make shots and narrow their deficit. But in the end, Cal made free throws and got the win.

Statistically, the Bears were something different from the norm by making only five threes. Again intersecting with the good and bad theme, they did turn it over 26 times. But while others struggled to shoot it, Onyiah did not. Her 9 for 13 effort from the floor, carried Cal, and was ably supported by Marta Suarez who contributed 18 points and nine rebounds.

Cal enjoyed a healthy edge on the glass as well, 40-28.

T’yana Todd led Boston College with 22 points and Nene Ndiaye contributed nine points off the bench.

Cal got good news from the ACC scoreboard as Florida State and Georgia Tech suffered unexpected losses, which means those spots at the top of the conference standings that will first round byes–and double byes for the top four–are still up for grabs.

Cal (20-6, 8-5) faces Syracuse, another team looking to just solidify their position as an opening day entrant for the ACC Tournament, on Sunday at Haas Pavilion.

Rankings Don’t Matter: Cal Women Outclassed By No. 3 Notre Dame in 91-52 Loss

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By Morris Phillips

If the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have another gear, the Cal women don’t want to see it.

As it was, the Bears found themselves as unwilling passengers in a vehicle speeding east on Interstate 90 in Northern Indiana, barely hinged with their seat belts unfastened. The ride wasn’t comfortable or in anyway enjoyable.

For Notre Dame, the same experience could be described as cruise control. The Irish walloped Cal, 91-52 in winning their 16th straight game, just another statement in their quest to be ACC Champions and Final Four participants this season.

Regardless of the outcome, the largest margin of victory by Notre Dame over another ranked team since 1999, Coach Charmin Smith made it clear that her team must embrace what they experienced.

“Notre Dame is a really good team, and we had moments in which we were able to do to play at that level and to contain them and keep them off the boards and do a better job of taking care of the ball,” Smith said. “And then it wasn’t something that we could sustain for 40 minutes. So that’s our process, working on being at an elite level for 40 minutes. Obviously, you’ve got household names and first round WNBA draft picks on that team, and I’m proud of how we stayed with it, and we were still fighting in the fourth quarter.”

Smith’s Bears (19-6, 7-5) found the pace unsettling, as they committed 21 turnovers, shot just 32 percent from the floor and missed 20 3-point attempts. Cal trailed by 21 points at the half, and by 37 points after a particularly lopsided third quarter.

Throughout, Notre Dame’s ball and player movement at the offensive end was constant and flawless, as potential WNBA guards Olivia Miles and Hannah Hildalgo took turns getting to the basket or finding cutting teammates for layups. For the game, Notre Dame shot 55 percent from the floor, and 50 percent from three.

“Offensively, I think we’re growing and getting better spacing,” coach Niele Ivey said. “I thought we did a great job. We had 46 points in the paint, and we had 20 assists.”

Cal still has a hefty NCAA Tournament resume, but their seeding will undoubtedly take a hit just because of uncompetitive losses at Duke by 34 points, and by 39 points on Sunday afternoon. The remainder of their announced schedule is kind, and it’s critical that Cal take advantage of all six opportunities to boost their win total.

The Bears were led by a trio of starters that scored in double figures topped by Lulu Twidale with 14 points. Michelle Onyiah and Marta Suarez scored 10 points each with Suarez also grabbing eight rebounds.

The Bears return home on Thursday to face Boston College at Haas Pavilion.

Wilkinson’s 21 points not enough, as three-headed Wake Forest beast downs Bears 76-66

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Cal Bears Andrej Stojakovic takes warm ups before the game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Sat Feb 8, 2025 (Cal Bears X photo)

Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025

Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California

Wake Forest Demon Deacons 76 (18-6)

California Golden Bears 66 (12-12)

By Stephen Ruderman

BERKELEY–Jeremiah Wilkinson scored 21 points, but it wasn’t enough, as Cal fell back to .500 with a 76-66 loss at the hands of Camer Hildreth, Hunter Sallis, Reid Efton and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

Cal got back over .500 with a 74-62 win over NC State on Wednesday night. Saturday, they would be in for a challenge against the 17-6 Wake Forest Demon Deacons.


The Bears amped and ready to go out of the gate. Jovan Blacksher Jr. hit a three 25 seconds in to start the day. Mady Sissoko then hit a hookshot 36 seconds later to put the Bears out to an early 5-0 lead.

Even though the Bears held onto a steady lead in the opening minutes, Wake Forest made their charge. They tied the game at 13-13 on a layup by Jake Harris, and then they took their first lead of the game, 16-15, a minute and 25 seconds later on a free throw from Cameron Hildreth.

Wake Forest opened up their lead to six points at 24-18 with 6:45 to go in the first half, and appeared ready to pull away with it. However, Cal quickly closed the deficit to 24-23 after Jeremiah Wilkinson hit a three and Andrej Stojakovic hit one in the paint. 

Efton Reid extended Wake Forest’s lead to 26-23 with a layup, but Rytis Petraitis tied the game with a three, and Blacksher put the Bears back ahead with a three of his own. Efton then hit a three to re-tie it, and Hunter Sallis took an alleyoop for a dunk to put Wake Forest back ahead 31-29.  

That would be the score as the game moved to the second half. Wake Forest held a small lead for the first two minutes and 46 seconds until Wilkinson tied it with a three. 

The game would remain neck and neck over the next few minutes, as Wake Forest would twice retake a miniscule lead, and Cal would tie it again both times. However, after Wilkinson hit two from the line to make it 42-42 with 14:51 left, everything would suddenly change.

Wake Forest scored eight unanswered points to take a 50-42 lead. Wilkinson hit a much-needed three to close it to 50-45, but Wake Forest did not let up. They ended up going on a 20-5 run to take a 62-47 lead and put the game away.

The only real excitement in the game’s final minutes was a near-fight that Head Coach Mark Madsen had to sprint to the middle court to break up. He had to restrain two young and tall basketball players, which is no small task for a coach. But hey, when you’re in a hurry to make sure two of your guys don’t get suspended, I guess it comes naturally. 

Really, three guys carried Wake Forest to victory Saturday. Camer Hildreth scored 23 points; Hunter Sallis scored 20; and Reid Efton scored 19. The three of them combined for 62 of Wake Forest’s 76 points. 

Wilkinson of course led the scoring for Cal with 21 points. After Wilkinson, Blacksher scored 12, and Stojakovic scored 10.

The Bears fall back to .500 at 12-12, and things won’t get any easier for them when they head to Durham, North Carolina to take on the Duke Blue Devils on Wednesday. Duke is only number two in the entire country, so no pressure.

Cal will also head to Georgia Tech next Saturday, and they will conclude their three-game road trip much closer to home, as they will go just down the road from Berkeley to Palo Alto to take on the Stanford Cardinal the following Thursday.

Cal Bears podcast with Stephen Ruderman: Cal frustrations come out in 76-66 loss to Wake Forest

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Cal Bears guard Jeremiah Wilkinson (0) takes the ball up the floor against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Sat Feb 8, 2025 (Cal Bears X photo)

On the Cal Bears podcast Stephen Ruderman:

#1 One thing you can say about the visiting Wake Forest Demon Deacons (18-6) is they’ve kept their shots falling and staying ten points ahead of the Cal Bears (12-11) all game long Saturday at Haas Pavilion.

#2 Wake Forest’s leading scorer Cameron Hildreth was hitting his shot and lead the Deacons in scoring in this on.

#3 Another thing that was working for Wake Forest was they were getting their share of shots that were falling.

#4 In the second half Cal was behind on an average of ten points and just couldn’t get enough offense against the Deacons to make up the difference. The game got physical and at one point frustrating for Cal as head coach Mark Madson had to come out on the court to restrain his players who were jawing with a Demon Deacon player.

#5 Cal tries it again this time at Duke University who are number two in the nation at 21-2. The Blue Devils are first are 12-0 at home and have won seven in row. Cal with the loss to Wake Forest on Saturday come into Duke with a 2-6 away record. Cal is playing .500 ball having won three of their last six games.

Stephen Ruderman covers Cal basketball for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Louisville Defends Cal Women Early, And Holds On Late in 70-63 Win

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By Morris Phillips

Offensive droughts and foul trouble made the Cal Bears women’s visit to Louisville an unsuccessful one on Thursday night.

The visitors quest for a significant Quad 1 win on the road fell apart in a stretch spanning the first and second quarters in which they were outscored 17-2 and fell behind by 13. While Louisville surged, the Bears missed 12 consecutive shots. Cal still trailed 64-48 midway through the fourth quarter before finishing with a run that made the final margin a respectable, but still unsatisfying seven points.

The matchup of a significantly more experienced Cal team and a youthful Louisville squad was decided by turnovers as well as Cal committed 23 which led to 22 points for the hosts.

Olivia Cochran led the Cardinals with 18 points and nine rebounds before fouling out in the final minutes. Highly touted freshman Imari Berry added 14 points off the bench in one of her best games to date, while former Cal standout Jayda Curry had eight points on 3 of 11 shooting in her first meeting against her former team and coach.

Cal (19-5, 7-4) was led by Michelle Onyiah with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Cal’s other four starters also scored in double figures, but their bench managed just four points on the evening, all four from guard Gisella Maul.

The Bears will need to regroup quickly for their next game at No. 3 Notre Dame on Sunday. The Fighting Irish maintained their unblemished record in ACC play on Thursday by routing Stanford 96-47.

Golden Bears cruise to 74-62 win over Wolfpack

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Cal Bears guard Jovan Blackshear Jr (10) raises a hand to teammates against the NC State Wolfpack at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Wed Feb 5, 2025 (Cal Bears X)

By Daniel Dullum
Wednesday, February 5, 2025

California continued to enjoy success in Atlantic Coast Conference men’s basketball Wednesday, as the Golden Bears defeated North Carolina State 74-62 at Haas Pavilion.

Jovan Blacksher led Cal (12-11 overall, 5-7 ACC) with 18 points, followed by Jeremiah Wilkinson with 14 points. Joshua Ola-Joseph added 13 points and Mady Sissoko pulled down 13 rebounds.

Andre Stojakovic returned to the Golden Bears lineup from illness and contributed six points. He hadn’t played since Jan. 18, also against NC State.

Cal led 34-30 at halftime. A key factor in the Golden Bears’ win was their defense, which held NC State to 2 of 12 shooting over the final 6 1/2 minutes. The Wolfpack (9-13 overall, 2-9 ACC) missed nine shots during that stretch.

A Rytis Petraitis 3-pointer put the Golden Bears up 47-46 with 13 minutes remaining in the second half. Petraitis later gave Cal 62-54 lead with under seven minutes to go. Cal put the finishing touches on the victory with a 10-0 run, giving them a 72-57 advantage with 90 seconds to play.

Marcus Hill led the Wolfpack with 20 points. NC State has lost seven consecutive games.

This Saturday, the Golden Bears host Wake Forest at 4 p.m., while NC State visits Stanford.

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Cal takes on Louisville Thursday in bid for 21st win

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Martz Suarez forward (7) of the Cal Bears takes a jump shot against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Sun Feb 2, 2025. (Cal Bears X photo)

#1 In the Cal Bears (20-4) last game Marta Suarez and Ioanna Krimili scored 16 points a piece and Lulu Twidale had 15 points as Cal picked up fourth win in their last six games against the Pittsburgh Panthers (9-15) 84-53 last Sunday.

#2 For Cal they reached a season high for scoring with 84 points and won by a season high 31 point gap with their win over Pittsburgh.

#3 The Bears had control over the Panthers early outscoring them 28-9 in the second quarter and taking an 18-11 lead after the first quarter. Cal had runs of 13-0 and 10-0 leads during the second quarter to hold a 46-20 lead at the half.

#4 Cal had all 12 of their players score against Pit and for head coach Charmin Smith she now chalks up her 19th win and seventh conference win tying the most she had last season.

#5 Cal heads to Louisville to take on the Cardinals. The Cardinals are sixth in the ACC at 15-7 over all and 6-3 at home. Tip off Thursday night 5:00pm PST.

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

Cal Women Empty The Bench in Blowout Win Over Pitt, 84-53

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Back in character, the Cal women blew past Pittsburgh, 84-53 and matched their win total for all of last season with eight games remaining.

The Golden Bears (19-4, 7-3) took off early, outscoring Pitt by nine in the first quarter, and 19 in the second. Their 46-20 halftime lead allowed Coach Charmin Smith to play her reserves extensively in the second half.

“We started off rough with the turnovers, but once we settled in, it looked like Cal basketball,” Smith said.

Lulu Twidale led Cal with 17 points, Ioanna Krimili added 16 points, six rebounds and four assists. With the outcome no longer in doubt, 12 Bears played and found their way into the scoring column. The performance was nice bounce back from Wednesday’s loss to North Carolina, the Bears first at home this season, and one in which they scored just 52 points, and seven in the decisive fourth quarter.

“Just make sure that our next game is the most important game of our lives. We always talk about that,” Marta Suarez said. “We knew we wanted to come out and execute. It was an opportunity for everyone to get minutes, and that’s important in a team game. We care about each other, we have team chemistry. I think that helps.”

Cal needed a win, in advance of their biggest road trip of the ACC schedule with games at Louisville and Notre Dame this week.

Marley Washenitz led Pitt with a career-best 20 points. Khadija Faye added 16 points, five rebounds for the Panthers, who are in trouble of missing the ACC Tournament with a 1-8 start conference play.

The Bears celebrated the memory of Kay Yow, the longtime N.C. State head coach in the Play4Kay Game. Cal wore pink uniforms and auctioned off custom-made t-shirts for the occassion.

Syracuse uses big first half to upend Cal 75-66

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Cal Bears guard Javon Blackshear (10) points to his teammates as Cal battles the Syracuse Orange at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Sat Feb 1, 2025 (Cal Bears MBB X photo)

By Daniel Dullum

Lucas Taylor scored 19 points and J.J. Starling bagged 18 for Syracuse Saturday, leading the Orange past California 75-66 in Atlantic Coast Conference men’s basketball at Haas Pavilion.

The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Orange (10-12 overall, 4-7 ACC).

The Golden Bears (11-11 overall, 4-7 ACC) were led by Jeremiah Wilkinson and Jovan Blacksher, who each scored a game-high 20 points. Rylis Petraitis was Cal’s leading rebounder with eight, to go with two assists, two steals and 13 points.

Syracuse opened the game with back-to-back layups by Starling, followed by a Taylor jumper and Elijah Moore’s 3-pointer, giving the Orange a 9-0 lead. The Orange never trailed.

Chris Bell hit a short jumper and a 3 to cap a 10-1 Syracuse run that put the Orange up by 13 with nine minutes remaining in the first half. Taking advantage of poor shooting by Cal (17 percent on 4 of 23 shots), the Orange build a 40-23 at the break.

The Golden Bears battled back with two 11-0 runs to pull within seven in the second half. Petraitis scored seven points during a 9-3 Cal run, pulling the Bears to within 67-61 on Blacksher’s layup with 1:14 remaining. The Golden Bears got no closer.

The Golden Bears were without Andrej Stojakovic, their leading scorer. Stojakovic averages 18.9 points per game – third in the ACC.

Cal hosts N.C. State on Wednesday. Game time is 8 p.m PST.