Category: NCAA

U Know Who It Is. UCLA!: No. 1 Bruins Win Convincingly Over Creighton At Chase Center

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–Coach Cori Close is greatly loved by her players, the young women she recruited to assume the quest of returning the Bruins to national prominence. Those players are likely well aware that Close hasn’t taken UCLA to the Final Four in her 13 years as head coach.

When you love your coach, and you want her to have the very best storylines, trailing an inferior opponent at halftime of a second round NCAA Tournament game is a nerve wracking situation. Compounding the scene for Kiki Rice, Angela Dugalic and the rest of the Bruins was a downcast Pauley Pavilion crowd that had experienced disappointment before.

The team’s play appeared tense, and their defense slipped. Creighton kept pushing, trying to put as many made baskets in their cookie jar as possible before the hosts snapped to. The Bluejays led 38-28 in the second quarter, and we’re still leading 44-34 in the third when Rice settled in.

“I just knew that I needed to do whatever I had to do to help my team win, whether that was feeding the ball to Lauren (Betts), scoring, doing whatever, and I think I was just focused on that,” Rice said.

Close’s tough love speech was all focus, and very little to do with her Final Four aspirations.

“At halftime, I really laid into them about the choices,” she said. “We don’t give up that many points in a half to anybody. So, we needed to just get back to doing things with our defense. I knew if we could get enough stops, we would score enough points.”

Sure enough, UCLA’s defensive intensity prevailed as Creighton scored just 21 points after the break while experiencing three lengthy droughts. The Bruins’ crowd exhaled, and the team advanced to the Sweet 16.

But they went no further, suffering a late game defeat to LSU in Albany the following week, and Close’s streak continued for another year.

“We didn’t get the shots that we wanted,” she said. “We did not execute the way that we needed to, and that’s one that’s going to sting for a really long time for me.”

A really long time wasn’t long at all for the hyper-motivated Close. Along with associate head coach Shannon LeBeauf and assistant Tony Newnan, who have been with Close since her beginning in Westwood, they hit the transfer portal with a mandate to add more of everything to put around Rice and Betts. Adding Janiah Barker from Alabama, Timea Gardiner from Oregon State, and Charlisse Leger-Walker from Washington State along with a group of highly-regarded freshman accomplished that. UCLA’s reload was simply loaded.

The Bruins opened the season running and took down reigning National Champion South Carolina in the process. A more diversified offense and relentless defense fueled an 11-0 start to the season and the Bruins ascent to No. 1 in the polls. Creighton was next on Friday at Chase Center, and the Bluejays immediately saw their opponent’s relentless ways.

“Seventy or 80 percent of it was them, but I thought we were tight and sped up offensively,” Creighton coach Jim Flanery said of UCLA’s flawless first quarter that ended with the Bruins leading 28-4.

Flanery acknowledged that the Bruins probably weren’t in the mindset of having another close call in the rematch, even if they had to play without Betts, who was out with a leg injury.

“The first quarter, I thought they played really fast and had us on our heels.”

The Bruins went on to win easily, 70-41. Their 12-0 start to the season includes just one win by fewer than 11 points. And now their first season in the Big Ten has arrived, along with two huge dates with crosstown irritant USC. A team this deep that wins with ease frequently needs an edge. Close has that covered as well.

“Nobody’s going to play perfect every single night. And bottom line is we have to have a selflessness that if it’s not my night, I’m going to celebrate it being someone else’s night,” she said.

What of the pressure of being the best team in the polls now but needing to break through in March?

“We have not arrived. And I think our ability to be relentlessly focused on being present and having a growth mindset. It is urgent that we improve today. It is urgent that I make a teammate better today.”

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson: Cardinal host surging Ducks Saturday at Maples Pavilion Saturday

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Stanford Cardinal Anthony Batson Jr picked up one assist against the Merrimack Warriors on Tue Dec 17, 2024 at Maple Pavilion in Palo Alto (photo by fieldlevelmedia.com)

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson:

#1 The Stanford Cardinal (9-2)  Oziyah Sellers went on an offensive rampage scoring 19 points and was 8 for 11 shooting from the floor at Maple Pavilion on Tuesday night leading the Cardinal to a 74-68 win over the Merrimack Warriors (5-7).

#2 The Warriors almost came back on the Cardinal whittling their 19 point lead down to just six points before time ran out and Merrimack dropped their record to 5-7.

#3 Stanford’s always reliable Maxime Raynaud came through leading with 16 points and 16 rebounds.

#4 Jaylen Blakes contributed with 16 points to help improve the Cardinal record to 9-2. Blakes was 5-7 from the floor and was perfect in 3 point shooting going 4-4. Blakes had a pretty good night adding seven rebounds, five assists and two steals.

#5 The Cardinal take on the Oregon Ducks (10-1) on Sat Dec 21st at SAP San Jose for a 5:00pm PST tip. The Ducks are fourth in the Big 10 Conference. The can be a tough customer and the Cardinal have been some great ball of late as well. How do you see this one on Saturday night.

Michael Roberson does the Cardinal podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Without Mendoza and Hunter Cal was handicapped to keep up with UNLV

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UNLV Rebels linebacker Jackson Woodard (7) and defensive back Cameron Oliver (5) celebrate after a play in the first half against the California Golden Bears at SoFi Stadium on Wed Dec 18, 2024. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris :

#1 UNLV Running Rebels quarterback Hajj Malik Williams connected with wide receiver Kylin James that helped the Rebels come up with a win over the Cal Bears in the LA Bowl 24-13 at So Fi Stadium. Williams had good protection from his line to operate the football against the Bears.

#2 Morris this was a pretty special game for UNLV winning it’s first bowl game since 2000 that wasn’t the Las Vegas Bowl.

#3 This is the first time the Rebels have won 11 games since they joined the FBS Bowl.

#4 For Cal they finish 2024 at 6-7 and haven’t had a winning season since 2019. What weakened the Bears offense was quarterback Fernando Mendoza and wide receiver Nyziah Hunter had entered the transfer portal.

#5 The wrap up the 2024 season. What are some of the things that head coach Justin Wilcox will be looking for in the 2024 season?

Morris Phillips is the Cal Bears beat writer at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Offense Falls Silent In 24-13 LA Bowl Loss to UNLV

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By Morris Phillips

The Art of Sport was overtaken by the Prevalence of Uncertainty at SoFi Stadium, and that was just another layer of bad news for the disheveled Cal Bears on Wednesday night.

The 24-13 loss to UNLV was empty of intrigue after the first quarter, which saw the Bears lead 3-0 and 10-7. The game fell out of reach at that point as Cal kicked just one field goal over the final three quarters while Coach Justin Wilcox was forced to devote all his energy to determining  who he had left to compete.

“There were a lot of guys playing who will be working to earn a spot going into spring,” Wilcox said. “Some of these guys really helped themselves. We have a lot of great evaluation. We wish we would have won the game.”

CJ Harris, Cal’s starter at quarterback, completed 13 of 20 passes but departed in the third quarter when he suffered arm and hand injuries. True freshman EJ Caminong stepped in, but with no playing experience at the collegiate level, he suffered, completing just 6 of 19 passing attempts along with a critical fumble on a botched lateral play.

Fernando Mendoza announced his intention to leave the program 10 days ago, entering the transfer portal and leaving Cal with precioulittle experience at the quarterback position.

The Rebels won their first bowl game since beating Arkansas after the 2000 season. They did so without coach Barry Odom, who accepted the Purdue coaching job in the last week. Hajj-Malik Williams threw two touchdown passes as UNLV started slowly but played steadily throughout with one score in each of the four quarters.

“I’ve done this so many times that it is a big deal for the players to experience,” interim coach Del Alexander said. “For them to feel it and get the reward and establish the legacy, it’s important for them.”

Cal finishes the season at 6-7, failing to post a winning season for the first time since 2019. The Bears won 3 of 4 and beat Stanford to gain bowl eligibility but lost their final two games.

Stanford gets early 19 point lead beat Merrimack by six 74-68

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Stanford guard Jaylen Blakes drives the ball against the Merrimack Warriors in the Cardinal six point win at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Tue Dec 17, 2024 (Stanford Cardinal X photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Stanford Cardinal  Oziyah Sellers went on an offensive rampage scoring 19 points and was 8 for 11 shooting from the floor at Maple Pavilion on Tuesday night leading the Cardinal to a 74-68 win over the Merrimack Warriors.

The Warriors almost came back on the Cardinal whittling their 19 point lead down to just six points before time ran out and Merrimack dropped their record to 5-7. Stanford’s always reliable Maxime Raynaud came through leading with 16 points and 16 rebounds.

Jaylen Blakes contributed with 16 points to help improve the Cardinal record to 9-2. Blakes was 5-7 from the floor and was perfect in 3 point shooting going 4-4. Blakes had a pretty good night adding seven rebounds, five assists and two steals.

Sellers and Ryan Agarwal scored 11 points and each player had scored three of the Cardinal 11 pointers. The Cardinal were in control in the first half of the game with a 39-30 half time lead. The Warriors came back and lead the second half 38-35 but it wasn’t enough for Merrimack for the loss.

In the first half Blakes was unstoppable in the he hit a key 3 pointer that gave Stanford the lead for the rest of the game and fired up the Cardinal to make a 26-7 run for a31-12 score against the Warriors. The three players who made the difference in scoring Sellers with 19 points followed by Raynaud and Blakes who finished with 16 points each.

Williams Controls The Pace, Cal Women Follow Suit In 71-45 Win Over Austin Peay

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–The impromptu signature session between Kayla Williams and a trio of nine-year old buddies came with a teaching moment. Williams, the Bears’ graduate strategist, provided the lesson just minutes after Sunday’s game.

“That’s the wrong answer. I’m your favorite player,” Williams corrected when the name Jayda Noble came up, not hers.

The signatures strengthened the bond between the girls and the unassuming star player. Not that Noble isn’t noteworthy, but Williams, the hooper, is transformative for the Golden Bears.

After shooting 7 for 8 floor against Austin Peay, Williams cemented her position as the focal point in Cal’s 11-1 start to the season that has them on the precipice of the national Top 25. Shooting 51 percent overall and 46 percent from the three, while operating as the savvy, offensive decision maker puts Williams on the mantle without question.

Williams has attempted just 99 shots in 12 games, so she’s hardly the first option. But she’s clearly the most efficient and perfectly content to heat her teammates up first.

“We know we have shooters, and our job is to look for each other,” she said. “And our connection, our bond, our relationship off the court is great. So that carries on to the court.”

Williams is the reason opposing coaches point to Cal’s experience and shot selection when explaining the Golden Bears’ success. She’s 123 games into her five-season college career, which includes stops at UC Irvine and USC. Williams’ current shooting streaks point to her improvement. Juju Watkins’ arrival at USC last season chopped Williams’ playing time significantly and probably motivated the Los Angeles to reclaim the spotlight at Cal.

“My goal is always to improve and get better, and I know that there’s a lot of areas where I can do that. For this team, I want to be at my best as much as possible,” she said. “Better shooter, better scorer, better passer, everything… all-around.”

Stojakovic leads way with 31 points, and Bears snap Demons with 84-66 win

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Cal Bears guard Jovan Blacksher Jr drives on a Northwestern State Demons defender at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Sat Dec 14, 2024 (Cal Bears MBB X photo)

Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024

Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California

Northwestern State Demons 66 (4-6)

California Golden Bears 84 (7-4)

By Stephen Ruderman

BERKELEY–Andrej Stojakovic dominated with 31 points, as the Bears snapped their three-game losing streak with an 84-66 win over the Northwestern State Demons.

The Bears came into today’s game after losing their last three. They were not blowouts, and the Bears were competitive in all three games, but three-straight losses following a 6-1 start had to wear on them.

Fortunately for the Bears, they would draw the Northwestern State Demons, and yes, there is a Northwestern, and a Northwestern State The Demons are from the lesser-known Southland Conference, and they are based out of Natchitoches, Louisiana.

Despite an easier matchup, the Bears could not get complacent, but it seemed like they did in the early going. A three by Landyn Jumawan and a layup by Willie Williams staked the Demons out to an early 5-0 lead. The Demons wouldn’t pull away with it, but they remained ahead for much of the first half.

The Demons led 22-16 with 9:05 left in the first half, but that was when the Bears—and really, Andrej Stojakovic—finally came charging. Cal came back to tie it at 26-26 with 5:39 to go. Joshua Ola-Joseph then put the Bears ahead with a three with exactly five minutes remaining.

The Bears would stay ahead for the remainder of the first half, but not by much, as they went into the half up 36-33. Stojakovic carried the way for the Bears, as he scored 16 points in the first half.

Cal then finally pulled away in the second half, as they opened up their lead to 19 points at 61-42 with 10:37 to go. Stojakovic continued to help lead the way, but he also got some help from Jeremiah Wilkinson, who came in off the bench.

The Demons did not give up, as they chipped away at Cal’s lead with a 15-6 run to close it to a 10-point game at 67-57 with 7:57 left. However, the Bears kept their lead at double digits the rest of the way, and won fairly comfortably by a final of 84-66.

Despite his high point totals, Stojakovic has often struggled with field goals in the early going this season, but that was not the case today. Stojakovic was 10-for-14 in field goals, including 4-for-6 from beyond the arc, and 7-for-8 from the line.

Wilkinson has another strong performance with 18 points, 16 of them in the second half. Ola-Joseph scored 13 points, and Jovan Blacksher Jr. scored 12.

The Bears improve to 8-4, and following a week off, they will travel down to San Diego to take on the San Diego State Aztecs for a game next Saturday night. Tipoff will be at 7:30 p.m.

FYI, it will be almost four weeks until the Bears are home again. Cal’s next home game will be on Jan. 8 against the Virginia Cavaliers. Tipoff for that game will be at 8 p.m.

Cal Bears podcast with Stephen Ruderman: Cal hoping to end 3 game skid against Northwestern State today in Berkeley

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Cal Bears forward Spencer Mahoney (7) shows some encouragement for his teammates from the Cal bench during their last home game against the Cornell Big Red at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Tue Dec 10, 2024 (Cal Bears photo)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Stephen Ruderman:

#1 The Cal Bears (6-4) take on the Northwestern State Demons (4-8) for a 12 noon tip here at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley. Cal is hoping to snap their three game losing streak after playing but losing some competitive games.

#2 They last played Cornell and although they took the lead on Cornell twice in Tuesday’s game they battled them pretty hard but lost by eight points 88-80.

#3 The Bears got scoring help against Cornell with five players who finished in double figures.

#4 Stephen you got to like the performance the Bears are getting from forward Joshua Ola Joseph he lead Cal in scoring on Tuesday with 21 points and eight rebounds.

#5 The Bears take on Northwestern State have won three of their last five games. In their last game they defeated Houston Christian 64-57 in Houston last Saturday. Stephen what’s your feel on these two teams today?

Stephen Ruderman is a Cal Bears podcast contributor at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Women Beating Stanford “Means A Lot” And Comes With A 20-Point Margin

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Telling the whole damn world, this is Bear Territory, isn’t easy. In fact, it’s hard work, and you better mean it when you say it.

Coach Charmin Smith said it Friday night, and it meant something.

After 12 consecutive losses to Stanford and 31 losses in the last 35 meetings spanning more than a decade, something needed to be said, and more importantly, something needed to be done. Again, Smith demanded, and her Bears delivered an 83-63 win, the first for Smith over the school she attended.

“I’d be lying if I tried to downplay it… I don’t care. I’m happy we beat Stanford, and I’m going to act like it,” Smith declared.

Smith, who has been an assistant coach and now head coach at Cal over a period spanning 18 years, hasn’t enjoyed any success competing against Stanford. She was 0-11 against legendary Tara VanDerveer with a number of those defeats by lopsided margins. Friday, coaching against former teammate Kate Paye, Smith, and her team broke through, winning by 20 for the first time since February 1982.

This time, it wasn’t close, and it wasn’t competitive after halftime.

The Bears survived a cold-shooting first half by both teams with a 33-24 lead. But they caught fire in the third, burying eight 3-pointers to expand their lead to 23. The school record for made threes came crashing down in the fourth quarter as Cal finished with 18.

Lulu Twidale and Ioanna Krimili both scored 20 points, and Marta Suarez was one better with 21. Suarez capped off the third quarter with a buzzer-beating three that extended Cal’s lead to 63-40.

“The rim got real big for them,” Paye said.

“I think they flat-out wanted it more. We were out-coached, I thought we were outplayed. You saw a Cal team that was highly motivated, and they played extremely hard. They rebounded the ball well. They were very aggressive on defense.”

Nunu Agara, Stanford’s leading scorer, missed eight of her 12 shots from the floor and finished with 13. Brooke Demetre led Stanford with 18. The Cardinal were 14 of 43 shooing through the first three quarters.

The first-ever ACC conference game for both teams portended a new reality between the two rivals, now in the absence of VanDerveer, who coached Stanford since 1986. The Bears have improved immensely while Stanford is starting over. Both teams came in just outside the national Top 25 among the highest vote getters. Now Cal, riding an impressive 10-1 start to the season, should enter the polls on Monday if they can continue winning against Austin Peay on Sunday.

Stanford Cardinal MBB podcast with Michael Roberson: Cardinal host Merrimack Tuesday; Stanford has won eight of last ten

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Stanford Cardinal Forward Maxime Raynaud acknowledges the crowd as he and the Cardinal took on the Cal Bears on Sat Dec 14, 2024 at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley (Stanford Cardinal photo)

Stanford Cardinal MBB podcast with Michael Roberson:

#1 Last game for the Stanford Cardinal it was their first Big Game of the season battling the Cal Bears at Haas Pavilion on Saturday afternoon. The Cardinal came away with a 89-81 win in a game they led for most of the way.

#2 Stanford is rolling they improved to 8-2 with the win and they had their way with Cal with five Cardinal finishing in double figures.

#3 The Cardinal Maxime Raynaud has been hard to stop, Raynaud has scored 20 points in his last seven games.

#4 Jaylen Blakes had six assists and two blocked shots. It should be also mentioned that Raynaud had a career best five blocked shots.

#5 Stanford gets back into action against the Merrimack Warriors on Tue Dec 17th a 7:00pm PST tip off at Maples Pavilion. The Warriors are third place in the Metro Atlantic Athletic and have won three in a row.

Join Michael Roberson for the Stanford Cardinal podcast Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com